Akewi App
Preserving Yoruba Oríkì Through Digital Storytelling
About Project
Akewi is a cultural preservation platform built to document, experience, and transmit Yoruba Oríkì in a way that respects its oral roots while adapting it to modern digital behavior. The project explores how technology can act as a cultural bridge rather than a replacement, enabling heritage to survive beyond generational memory and geographic boundaries.
The Problem
Yoruba Oríkì are traditionally preserved through oral transmission—family lineages, community elders, ceremonies, and storytelling. This model, while powerful, is fragile in a modern context. Language shift, urbanization, and digital-first consumption have reduced everyday exposure to Oríkì, increasing the risk of misinterpretation, loss of nuance, and permanent erasure. Existing digital records, where they exist, often strip Oríkì of tone, pronunciation, and cultural context, turning living identity into static text.
How it was solved
Akewi allows users to view, listen to, and contribute Yoruba Oríkì, pairing audio recordings with structured text and English translations. This dual-format approach preserves the oral integrity of Oríkì while making it searchable, shareable, and understandable across generations. Contribution flows were designed to encourage respectful participation rather than rapid content dumping, reinforcing the idea that Oríkì are cultural artifacts, not casual posts.
Design Approach
The interface was intentionally minimal and contemplative. Visual hierarchy prioritizes listening and reading, reducing distractions that could trivialize the content. Typography, spacing, and interaction pacing were chosen to slow the user down, aligning the product experience with the reflective nature of Oríkì. The contribution flow emphasizes clarity and context, guiding users to add meaningfully rather than mechanically.
Long-Term Vision
Akewi is designed as foundational infrastructure for indigenous digital systems. The long-term vision includes supporting indigenous AI models trained on culturally accurate data and integrating with IoT environments, enabling local-language interactions within smart homes. This reframes indigenous language not as legacy content, but as an active interface for future technology.
Akewi App
Preserving Yoruba Oríkì Through Digital Storytelling
About Project
Akewi is a cultural preservation platform built to document, experience, and transmit Yoruba Oríkì in a way that respects its oral roots while adapting it to modern digital behavior. The project explores how technology can act as a cultural bridge rather than a replacement, enabling heritage to survive beyond generational memory and geographic boundaries.
The Problem
Yoruba Oríkì are traditionally preserved through oral transmission—family lineages, community elders, ceremonies, and storytelling. This model, while powerful, is fragile in a modern context. Language shift, urbanization, and digital-first consumption have reduced everyday exposure to Oríkì, increasing the risk of misinterpretation, loss of nuance, and permanent erasure. Existing digital records, where they exist, often strip Oríkì of tone, pronunciation, and cultural context, turning living identity into static text.
How it was solved
Akewi allows users to view, listen to, and contribute Yoruba Oríkì, pairing audio recordings with structured text and English translations. This dual-format approach preserves the oral integrity of Oríkì while making it searchable, shareable, and understandable across generations. Contribution flows were designed to encourage respectful participation rather than rapid content dumping, reinforcing the idea that Oríkì are cultural artifacts, not casual posts.
Design Approach
The interface was intentionally minimal and contemplative. Visual hierarchy prioritizes listening and reading, reducing distractions that could trivialize the content. Typography, spacing, and interaction pacing were chosen to slow the user down, aligning the product experience with the reflective nature of Oríkì. The contribution flow emphasizes clarity and context, guiding users to add meaningfully rather than mechanically.
Long-Term Vision
Akewi is designed as foundational infrastructure for indigenous digital systems. The long-term vision includes supporting indigenous AI models trained on culturally accurate data and integrating with IoT environments, enabling local-language interactions within smart homes. This reframes indigenous language not as legacy content, but as an active interface for future technology.