About OWANLY

PURPOSE

Our Mission

Owanly exists for one purpose: to ensure the Owan language never dies.

Every year, languages disappear. Elders pass away taking words, stories, and wisdom with them. Children grow up speaking only English, unable to communicate with their grandparents. Families lose connection to centuries of heritage.

We're building the bridge between generations.

Owanly makes learning Owan fun, accessible, and engaging — whether you're a child in Lagos, a student in London, or a grandmother in Sabongida-Ora wanting to teach your grandchildren.

This isn't just an app. It's a movement to preserve our identity for generations to come.

HERITAGE

The Owan People

Owan East & Owan West Edo State, Nigeria

The Owan people are an ethnic group native to Edo State in southern Nigeria. We inhabit Owan East and Owan West Local Government Areas, with our ancestral homeland centered around towns like Sabongida-Ora, Afuze, Uzebba, and Ivbiaro.

Our Origin

According to oral tradition, the Owan people trace their origins to the great Benin Kingdom. During a period of political upheaval, our ancestors migrated northward and settled in the lush forests that would become Owan land.

The name "Owan" itself comes from the sacred Owan River, which according to legend, was formed when a woman named Onwanvbua sacrificed herself to save her people during a great drought. Her tears became the river that sustains us to this day.

The 11 Clans

The Owan people are organized into 11 distinct clans, each with its own history, traditions, and dialect:

1

ORA

The largest clan, home to Sabongida-Ora

2

OTUO

The oldest clan, keepers of tradition

3

EMAI

Known for Afuze and rich farmland

4

IULEHA

Home of Uzebba and skilled craftsmen

5

OZALLA

Hosts the famous Ivbiamen festival

6

IVBI-MION

"Children of the Spirit"

7

IKAO

Warriors and hunters

8

IHIEVBE

Riverside communities

9

ERUERE

Mountain dwellers

10

IVBIOSAKON

Master farmers

11

OKPUJE

Guardians of sacred groves

Our Language

The Owan language belongs to the Edoid language family and is related to the languages spoken in Benin Kingdom. It features:

39 letters including special characters
A unique base-20 counting system
Tonal distinctions that change word meanings
Rich proverbs encoding generations of wisdom
11 dialects varying slightly between clans

Today, approximately 500,000 people speak Owan in Nigeria, with thousands more in the diaspora across the UK, USA, Canada, and Europe.

Our Culture

Owan culture is rich with tradition:

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Age Grade System

Social organization by age groups

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Traditional Naming

Names carry deep meanings

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Festivals

Celebrating harvests, ancestors, spirits

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Music

Talking drums, flutes, and praise songs

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Food

Pounded yam, bush meat, palm wine

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Proverbs

Wisdom passed through generations

STORY

Why We Built OWANLY

"I sat with my grandmother and realized I couldn't understand half of what she was saying."

This was the moment everything changed.

Growing up in the diaspora, I heard Owan at home but never learned to speak it properly. My parents spoke it to each other, but switched to English for us kids. It seemed easier. More practical.

But when my grandmother visited and I couldn't hold a real conversation with her — couldn't understand her jokes, her stories, her wisdom — I felt something break inside me.

I wasn't just missing a language. I was missing my heritage.

I looked for apps to learn Owan. There were none.

I looked for books. Almost nothing.

I looked for courses. Nothing online.

That's when I decided: if it doesn't exist, I'll build it.

The Problem

No digital resources for learning Owan
Young people losing connection to the language
Elders passing away without passing on knowledge
Diaspora children unable to speak with grandparents
No centralized dictionary or language database
Risk of language extinction within 2-3 generations

Our Solution

Owanly is the first comprehensive platform for learning the Owan language. We combine:

Modern learning science (spaced repetition, gamification)
Cultural immersion (not just words, but context)
Community contribution (anyone can add words)
Native audio (hear correct pronunciation)
Accessibility (free to start, works on any device)

We're not just building an app. We're building a permanent home for the Owan language on the internet.

PRINCIPLES

Our Values

Preservation

Every word saved is a piece of our identity preserved. We document not just vocabulary, but dialects, pronunciations, and cultural context.

Accessibility

Language learning should be free for those who can't afford it. Our core features will always be free. No one should be priced out of their own heritage.

Community

One tree does not make a forest. We build this together — elders contributing knowledge, youth contributing technology, everyone contributing passion.

Authenticity

We work with native speakers and cultural experts to ensure accuracy. This isn't academic — it's real language as spoken by real Owan people.

Joy

Learning should be fun. We use games, rewards, and stories to make Owan something you want to learn, not something you have to learn.

PROGRESS

What We've Built

210+ Vocabulary Words

150+ Names With Meanings

50+ Proverbs With Meanings

39 Alphabet Letters

100 Numbers (Base-20)

11 Clan Histories

Features

Gamified learning with streaks, rewards, and rankings
Village builder that grows as you learn
Daily challenges to build consistent habits
Name Oracle to discover your Owan name
Native speaker audio for every word
Community dictionary anyone can contribute to
Cultural content: history, food, music, festivals
Works on iOS, Android, and Web
Offline mode to learn anywhere

Impact

12,000+ Learners worldwide

45+ Countries

1,000,000+ Words practiced

1,247 Dictionary contributions

365 Longest streak (days)

FUTURE

Our Vision

Today

We're focused on building the most comprehensive Owan language learning platform in the world. Every word, every pronunciation, every cultural context — documented and accessible to anyone, anywhere.

Tomorrow

We envision:

Owan taught in schools worldwide
Children growing up fluent in their mother tongue
Elders celebrated as living libraries
A complete digital archive of Owan language and culture
Sister apps for other endangered Nigerian languages

The Bigger Picture

Nigeria has over 500 languages. Many are endangered. If we can save Owan, we can create a model for saving them all. Owanly is just the beginning.

Imagine: Igboly. Yorubaly. Hausaly. Efik-ly. Ibibio-ly.

Every Nigerian language, preserved forever. That's the future we're building toward.

GET INVOLVED

Join Us

📚

Learn

Start your journey today. It's free.

Get Started Free

✍️

Contribute

Know Owan? Help us grow the dictionary. Every word you add helps preserve our language.

Contribute to Dictionary

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Spread the Word

Share Owanly with family and friends. The more people learning, the stronger our language.

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Partner With Us

Are you a school, organization, or cultural group? Let's work together to bring Owan to more people.

Contact Us

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Support the Project

Owanly is built with love, but servers cost money. If you believe in what we're doing, consider supporting.

Support Owanly

CONNECT

Get In Touch

General Inquiries

hello@owanly.com

Partnerships

partners@owanly.com

Press

press@owanly.com

Support

support@owanly.com