Heritage Language Learning

Speak Your
Roots.

IgboYorùbáTwi AmharicZulu Jamaican PatoisHaitian CreoleSwahili

For the diaspora, by the diaspora. Learn the language your grandparents spoke, through culture, context, and community.

Built for us

Language is belonging.

Motherlang isn't another generic language app. It's built specifically for African and Caribbean diaspora communities, with cultural depth baked in from day one.

🌍

9 Heritage Languages

Igbo, Yorùbá, Twi, Amharic, Zulu, Jamaican Patois, Haitian Creole, Tanzanian Swahili and Hausa, with more coming.

🎵

Culture-First Learning

Lessons rooted in proverbs, music, greetings, and everyday family life. Not textbook drills.

🏡

Made for the Diaspora

Whether you grew up speaking it or never learned, Motherlang meets you exactly where you are.

Short, Powerful Lessons

Five minutes a day builds real fluency over time. Designed to fit around your life.

App Preview

See it in action.

Tap through four screens of the Motherlang experience: language selection, lesson flow, culture hub, and progress tracking.

Motherlang
Choose your heritage language
🇳🇬
Igbo
Nigeria
🇳🇬
Yorùbá
Coming Soon
🇬🇭
Twi
Coming Soon
🇪🇹
Amharic
Coming Soon
🇿🇦
Zulu
Coming Soon
🇯🇲
Patois
Coming Soon
🇭🇹
Haitian Creole
Coming Soon
🇹🇿
Swahili
Coming Soon
+10 XP
IGBO · UNIT 1 · GREETINGS
Nnọọ
nn-oh-oh
Welcome
🐢
What does this mean?
AGoodbye
BWelcome
CThank you
DGood morning
🎉
+15
XP EARNED
Lesson Complete!
You crushed it. Streak updated 🔥
3
Correct
3
Words
🔥8
Streak
Culture
🇳🇬 Igbo
🇬🇭 Twi
🇯🇲 Patois
🇪🇹 Amharic
🇿🇦 Zulu
🎵 Playlists
See all
🥁
IGBO
Afrobeats Roots
Fela · Wizkid · Flavour
🎸
IGBO
Highlife Classics
Oliver De Coque
🎷
IGBO
Omenala Sounds
Traditional · Folk
🎬 Watch
See all
🦁
🇳🇬
NOLLYWOOD
Lionheart
Igbo · Drama
🌅
🇳🇬
FILM
Half of a Yellow Sun
Igbo · History
🔥 Iconic Moments
See all
✊🏿
IGBO · NIGERIA · 1967
The Biafran Declaration
📜
IGBO · ORAL TRADITION
Chinua Achebe Speaks
Only natives would know 👀
😂 Slang Drop
See all
🇳🇬
Gwa m
/gwah·m/
Tell me everything. Used when you want the full unfiltered story.
Igbo
🇳🇬
Nna men
/n·nah·mehn/
Literally "my father" but used as deep admiration or disbelief.
Igbo
🏠Home
📖Learn
🌍Culture
📊Progress
My Progress
Keep the streak alive 🔥
7
DAY STREAK
🇳🇬
Igbo — Unit 2
65%
🇬🇭
Twi — Unit 1
30%
🇯🇲
Patois — Unit 1
12%
Early Access

Be first to speak
your roots.

Our Story

Where language meets
identity.

Learn the language. Keep the culture. Motherlang is built for anyone who feels the pull of a language they haven’t yet been able to claim, and is finally ready to.

Who we're here for

However you came to this moment.

Wherever you are in your journey back to the language, we're here for you.

🌱

Reclaiming lost heritage

Maybe the language skipped a generation. Maybe it was buried under migration, assimilation, survival. Maybe you grew up hearing it but never speaking it. Whatever the distance, you have every right to find your way back.

🤝

Connecting with loved ones

Your grandmother prays in Igbo. Your grandfather tells stories in Twi that your parents only half-translate. Your cousins in Lagos switch into Yorùbá and you smile and nod. Motherlang helps you close that gap.

✈️

Traveling or visiting home

Heading back home for the first time — or the tenth? There’s something different about arriving and being able to speak, even a little. Moving through a place that belongs to you, in a language that feels like it does too.

Just plain curious

Sometimes there's no dramatic backstory. You heard a word, you felt a pull, you want to understand something beautiful. Curiosity is a perfectly good reason. Come as you are.

What we believe

Language is more than words.

It's memory. It's kinship. It's the thread that connects you to where you come from.

🧬

Heritage is yours

No one needs permission to reconnect with where they come from. Your roots don't expire.

🎭

Culture first

Language lives in proverbs, songs, stories, jokes. We build around the culture, not just the grammar.

🌍

Community matters

We're building with the community, not just for it. Diaspora voices shape every lesson.

💛

No shame, ever

We don't shame broken accents or imperfect grammar. Every step toward the language is worth celebrating.

From the founder
"I grew up hearing Igbo and not being able to speak it. It's hard to explain to people because the assumption is that I can, seeing as both my parents are Igbo. But that gap is real, and it's more common than anyone talks about. I know what it feels like to want to speak, to want to share a coded message with a loved one and not be able to. That's what Motherlang is. It's for everyone who has ever felt that pull towards a language that belongs to them and wanted to finally close the distance."
— Kekanma Anyiam-Osigwe, Founder, Motherlang
Be part of the beginning

Join the village.

We're building Motherlang in public, with the community, for the community. Come along for the journey.

9 Languages · 4 Continents

Every language,
a whole world.

Each of our nine heritage languages comes with its own cultural universe, music, film, proverbs, slang, and history.

🇳🇬
Igbo
Nigeria · West Africa
One of Nigeria's three major languages, spoken by over 44 million people. A tonal language rich in proverbs, oral literature, and a vibrant diaspora community worldwide.
Nnọọ
Welcome

✦ Available Now
🇳🇬
Yorùbá
Nigeria, Benin, Togo · West Africa
Spoken by over 40 million people, Yorùbá is one of Africa's most widely spoken languages. Its influence stretches from Lagos to Brazil through the diaspora.
Ẹ káàbọ̀
Welcome

⏳ Coming Soon
🇬🇭
Twi
Ghana · West Africa
An Akan language spoken by about 9 million people in Ghana. It's the most widely spoken of Ghana's many languages and is central to Ghanaian identity and culture.
Akwaaba
Welcome

⏳ Coming Soon
🇪🇹
Amharic
Ethiopia · East Africa
The official language of Ethiopia, spoken by over 30 million people. Written in its own unique script — Ge'ez — it carries a literary and spiritual tradition thousands of years old.
ደህና መጡ
Welcome

⏳ Coming Soon
🇿🇦
Zulu
South Africa · Southern Africa
South Africa's most widely spoken home language with over 12 million native speakers. The greeting "Sawubona" — meaning "I see you" — embodies a deep philosophy of human dignity.
Sawubona
I see you

⏳ Coming Soon
🇯🇲
Jamaican Patois
Jamaica · Caribbean
An English-based creole with deep West African roots, Patois is the heartbeat of Jamaican culture, from reggae to dancehall, storytelling to everyday life in the yard.
Wah gwaan
What's going on?

⏳ Coming Soon
🇭🇹
Haitian Creole
Haiti · Caribbean
The mother tongue of over 12 million Haitians worldwide, Kreyòl is a language of resistance, resilience, and pride, born out of one of history's great freedom stories.
Byenveni
Welcome

⏳ Coming Soon
🇹🇿
Tanzanian Swahili
Tanzania, Kenya & East Africa
Spoken by over 200 million people across East Africa, Swahili is the continent's great lingua franca, a language of trade, unity, and extraordinary cultural depth.
Karibu
Welcome

⏳ Coming Soon
🇳🇬
Hausa
Nigeria, Niger & West Africa
One of Africa's most widely spoken languages with over 70 million native speakers, Hausa is the dominant language of Northern Nigeria and a major lingua franca across West and Central Africa.
Sannu
Hello / Welcome

⏳ Coming Soon
More coming

This is just the beginning.

We're adding more languages every season. Tell us which language matters to you and help us decide what's next.

Get in Touch

Join
The Village.

We're building Motherlang in public, with the community, for the community. Say hello, share feedback, suggest a language, or just vibe with us.

Let's talk.

Whether you want to give feedback, suggest a language we should add, or just tell us your Motherlang story, we'd genuinely love to hear from you.

motherlangafrica@gmail.com @themotherlang @themotherlang

Send a message

Ideas, feedback, or just saying hello — we read everything.

✓ Message received! We'll be in touch.
Legal

Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 2026

At Motherlang, we approach your data the same way we approach language — with care, respect, and intention.This policy explains what we collect, why we collect it, and your right.

1. Who We Are

Motherlang is a language learning platform focused on African and Caribbean heritage languages — built for anyone looking to learn, reconnect, or explore. Reach us at motherlangafrica@gmail.com.

2. Information We Collect

We only collect what we need:

  • Email address — when you join our waitlist or contact us.
  • Usage data — via Google Analytics. No personally identifiable information is collected.
  • Communications — messages you send us via email or contact forms.

3. How We Use Your Information

  • Notify you when Motherlang launches
  • Share occasional updates (you can unsubscribe anytime)
  • Improve our website and user experience
  • Respond to your messages

We will never sell your data or share it with advertisers.

4. Nigerian Data Protection (NDPR)

In line with the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR), you have the right to: access, correct, or request deletion of your personal data at any time. Contact us at motherlangafrica@gmail.com.

5. GDPR (UK & EU)

If you are in the EEA or UK, you have rights to access, correct, erase, restrict, and port your personal data. Contact motherlangafrica@gmail.com to exercise these rights.

6. Additional Regional Rights

If you are located in regions with specific data protection laws, you may have additional rights under those laws. We are committed to honouring your rights wherever you are.

7. Cookies

We use Google Analytics cookies to understand website usage only — not for advertising. You can disable cookies in your browser settings at any time.

8. Contact Us

motherlangafrica@gmail.com
Instagram: @themotherlang
X: @themotherlang