Kiswahili, a Language to Promote Pan-Africanism and World Unity

KISWAHILI, or Swahili language, which is built on Bantu and Arabic grounds, with most vocabulary easy to pronounce and write, is fast spreading around the world, according to UNESCO, which in 2021 proclaimed July 7 as World Kiswahili Language Day.

It is estimated that there are 200 million people who speak Kiswahili in the world, with more than 16 million people being their first /mother language, especially those born in towns and cities(native speakers), and more than 82 million speak Kiswahili as their second and third language. The original name of the language is Kiswahili although the colonial government called it Swahili. The two words are currently in use although in East Africa, it is known as Kiswahili.

During the decades leading up to the independence of Tanzania, Kenya and to a limited extent in  Uganda, Kiswahili was an essential tool to enable freedom fighters to communicate their responsibilities, needs and wants to reach their goals.

President Idi Amin of Uganda between 1971 and 1979 popularized Kiswahili in Uganda as it was the main language of communication in the armed forces of Uganda. He repeatedly used the language to insult the leaders of Tanzania until the Tanzania-Uganda war that led to the overthrow of the Idi Amin regime in 1979.

Kiswahili, the lone language to be recognized by the United Nations, on 23rd November 2021 as one of the International languages and UNESCO proclaimed July 7th  as World Kiswahili Language Day after the application by Tanzania government to coincide with the founding date of the  Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) 1954. That day also known as Saba Saba sparked off a chain of events that led to Tanganyika’s independence in 1961.

It’s also has been adopted as a working language at the African Union, approved by the Assembly of the Union at the session held in February 2022.

The push for Kiswahili to become a lingua franca in Africa will benefit Africa and the world. The effort seeks to reduce Africa’s reliance on foreign languages in official communications.

Today, of the 54 countries on the continent, English and French are the official languages in 27 and 21 countries respectively. Both are languages colonial, so Kiswahili  would be a neutral language

Some of the universities that teach Kiswahili in the US include Harvard, Yale, St Lawrence, Howard, Stanford, Winston,  and others in Japan, the EU, Australia, India, Russia, Mexico, Poland etc.

Kiswahili language is also taught in elementary, middle and high schools in the US—most of them chartered schools—to mostly African American children.

Approximately 90,000 people speak Swahili in the United States, according to Piedmont Global Language Solutions, a US-based language services provider.

From Tanzania, Kiswahili was spreading in Eastern and Central Africa, a medium language at different levels in Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Somalia, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Comoro and Zambia. Outside Africa are Oman and Yemen.

Francia Elena Márquez, Vice President of Colombia (and first black Columbian to that position) in South America, a country famous for its natural resources, a diverse culture and world's leading producer of high-quality emeralds, announced that she would be introducing Kiswahili in the schools for those who will be interested to learn it, and also for Colombians to come to Africa to teach Spanish, as well as African teachers to go to Colombia and teach Kiswahili. She recently announced that during her visit to Kenya, Ethiopia and South Africa this year.

"This is important for reconnecting with roots and rebuilding historical memory and if we have one language that will translate trading to one another, trading is something that will bring up all communities, it is a win-win, and we can talk about unity. If you we need Africa to unite, we definitely need one language which we can all communicate”,  Márquez was quoted as saying by Columbian media.

One of the influential Tanzanians in the diaspora who has been making an impact in both Tanzania and in other countries, as far as Kiswahili is concerned, is Ansbert Ngurumo, a philosopher, human rights defender and journalist. He is the Director of Sauti Kubwa (SK)   Media EA, living in Sweden.

According to SK Media EA, which runs its programs in Kiswahili, Ngurumo found that Kiswahili was a ' much bigger thing' than he had thought before after he requested to participate in one of Kiswahili programs by the Star Kiswahili Learning Centre, based in Uganda. The Centre connects Swahili learners around the world, including 34 African countries.

"The center has approximately 400 Swahili teachers around the world. The center invited me to give them support and mobilization, to tell how it has shaped me in my life. I turned to be a learner,” said Ngurumo insisting Tanzanians must do much to safeguard the Kiswahili language, as its mother country since other countries are catching up fast. For Dr Ziada Tajo Ameir, who teaches Kiswahili for foreigners at State University of Zanzibar (SUZA) said that Kiswahili will lose its glory in Tanzania if authorities do not promote it and market the opportunities the language offers.

Brenda Ainebyona, a Ugandan health worker in Entebbe City, Uganda is the coordinator of the Star Kiswahili Learning Centre. She calls Kiswahili 'a language of Saints.' She contacted Ngurumo after following his blog on Kiswahili.

Antonio Onorati, an Italian I talked to him on the phone to make this article successful, said he liked Kiswahili since his youth. He later joined L’Orientale University in Napoli, to pursue a Kiswahili course.

" I hope that Kiswahili will  help me in finding a job, as not many white people  are able to speak Kiswahili and understand it, I'll take that golden chance to teach Kiswahili in my country  and other parts", said Onorati who is currently in Zanzibar for accomplishing his mission.

He had also taught Kiswahili in his country by preparing simple pamphlets and spreading them to friends and those wishing to learn about.

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