This archive report was first published on 16 December 2019.
Published on December 16, 2019, Kiswahili, Africa's most spoken language with an estimated 100 million users, is finally venturing out of its East African home.
South Africa will offer Kiswahili as an optional language in schools starting next year, with trials in 90 schools. This move makes Kiswahili the first African language from outside South Africa to be offered in schools in a country where French, German, and Mandarin are already optional subjects.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has adopted Kiswahili as its fourth official language of communication after English, Portuguese, and French. This marks a significant milestone for the language, which has been adopted as a national and official language in Kenya and Tanzania.
Sho Madjozi, a 27-year-old South African rapper, has taken the Rainbow Nation by storm with her songs primarily in Kiswahili. Her song 'John Cena' has been viewed 7.6 million times, and 'Huku' garnered 6.3 million views.
Madjozi, who schooled in Dar es Salaam, has mainstreamed Kiswahili in the music style 'gqom', born in Durban. This is not the first time Kiswahili has been used in music; the legendary Miriam Makeba sang in Kiswahili hits such as 'Hapo Zamani' and 'Malaika'.
Tanzania and Kenya made Kiswahili compulsory in secondary schools in 1986 and an examinable subject 30 years ago. Sizeable populations in Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and small pockets in Mozambique, Somalia, the Comoros Islands, northern Zambia, and Malawi speak the language.
Efforts to promote Kiswahili are underway in various countries. In February 2017, Rwanda's National Assembly made Kiswahili one of the country's official languages, joining Kinyarwanda, French, and English. In September, Uganda's Cabinet approved the formation of the Uganda National Kiswahili Council, which, together with the East African Kiswahili Commission, is to help make Kiswahili the second official language after English.
With most Kiswahili words borrowed from Bantu, the most widespread language group in Africa, it is easier for most of the 1.2 billion Africans to learn it. Most South African languages share basic words, grammatical, and sentence structure with Kiswahili.
Leading world radio stations, including the BBC, VoA, Radio China International, and Deutsche Welle Radio, have dedicated segments and programs in Kiswahili. The African Union's adoption of Kiswahili as an official language in 2004 marked a significant step towards promoting the language.
Kenya has almost 50 languages, Tanzania 114, and Uganda 43. Africa, the second-most diverse continent after Asia in terms of languages, has over 2,000. The introduction of Kiswahili as an official language in the African Union was messy and disorganized, but it has paved the way for its growth and promotion.
As the language continues to spread, it is essential to recognize its importance in unifying East Africa's over 140 million people with ethnic and linguistic diversity. Kiswahili kitukuzwe!
