7 Min Read JOHANNESBURG/TULSA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The words “facemask” and “hand sanitiser” are now familiar the world over, but for isiZulu speakers in South Africa those terms did not exist a year ago, until a group of volunteers took to the internet to create them. From Wikipedia posts in indigenous tongues to digital word libraries, African language lovers are going online to preserve and create words and content for future generations - an effort that has been given added urgency by the coronavirus pandemic. “Language is very important, it’s the tool we use to communicate our understanding of the world,” said Perrymason Adams, 39, an accountant in South Africa who volunteers with WikiAfrica, a project to increase Wikipedia content in African languages.