KISWAHILI
Swahili (Kiswahili among its speakers)
is a Bantu language spoken in East
and Central
Africa. It is the official language in Tanzania, and though only recognized
officially as a national language in Kenya, it already functions
as a second official language and structures to make it an official
language are being put in place. It is one of the four national
languages of the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire);
the others being Kikongo, Tshiluba and Lingala. Swahili is also widely
used in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi,
and in parts of Somalia,
Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique,
and the Comoro
Islands.
Probably because of the long history of
contact between the east African
Coast (home of
Swahili first language speakers), its origin, historical spread, etc
have been subjects of debate for along time among scholars. As such, it
is not uncommon to find information that looks very different when
searching different sources. With regard to its origin, for example,
three main theories have been fronted over time: Swahili is a language
of Arabic origin, Swahili is a mixture of Arabic and Bantu languages,
and Swahili is a Bantu language. While it is a known fact that
languages in contact always influence each other, some people have
chosen not to take that into account when commenting about Swahili. For
instance, since Arabs are known to have traveled to many parts of the
world, why is it that they apparently found it needful to “donate”
their language to the East African coast and nowhere else? Were people
in the East African coast not communicating among themselves before the
arrival of Arabs and other visitors? Suffice it to
say that there is evidence from linguistic research showing that
Swahili is a Bantu language. Like many other languages of the world
have done, Swahili has borrowed heavily with the main sources being
Arabic and several other languages, and in fact that has tremendously
aided its rapid development.
After Arabic, Swahili is the most
widely used African language but the number of its speakers is another
area in which there is little agreement. The most commonly mentioned
numbers are 50, 80, and 100 million people. Considering the populations
of the countries in which the language is spoken, as well as the
percentage of its speakers in those countries, it is not unrealistic to
say that the numbers are much higher. It is also important to consider
pockets of its speakers in the Arab world, and in big cities in the
west. Swahili has spread far and wide to the extent that its speakers
are advised not to speak badly of people anywhere because you never
know who is listening. Many Swahili speaking interlocutors going about
their normal activities have been approached by people they least
expected would know a word they were saying in Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
Another significant fact is that a vast
majority of the 100 million plus speakers of Swahili speak other first
languages. The number of its native speakers has been conservatively
placed at just under 2 million. It is, therefore, largely a second or
third language to many of its speakers. Given its spread in East Africa, and the way it is being acquired,
it is increasingly turning out to be a second first language for a
number of people. Several factors contributed to the spread of Swahili
from the coast of East Africa to the
hinterland and beyond. The most significant are trade, missionary
activities, the spread of Islam, and colonial administration,
especially in Tanzania.
Later, the main factors included the struggle for independence, service
delivery and the quest for unity in the post-independence era, and
commerce. The media, as well as education systems played a critical
role in cementing the place of the language in the lives of East
Africans.
Swahili culture is a very good blend of
the original coastal ways of life and the influence from the many
different cultures that the Swahili have come into contact with. These
include non coastal African cultures and traits from as far away as the
Arabian Peninsula, India,
and Portugal.
These can be witnessed in their early buildings, in foods, music, dress
code etc. Whether there still remains a pure Swahili culture
unadulterated by the wider Swahili speaking peoples is also a subject
of much debate.
Swahili has developed to become a very
popular African language, taught in many leading academic institutions
in Africa, Europe, America
and Asia. It is offered as subject of
study in prestigious universities like Harvard, Yale, Stanford,
Princeton, the University
of Pennsylvania
and many others. It is estimated that close to 100 institutions teach
Swahili in the US
alone. Swahili has been taught in SOAS at the University of London
since the 1930s. It is also taught in Canada,
Germany, Poland, Mexico,
Russia, Japan, India, and many other
countries.
The broadcast media have also
contributed immensely to the spread and popularization of Swahili. It
is probably the most widely used African language in radio broadcasts
in the world. You can tune in to Swahili programs in major broadcasting
houses like VOA (America),
BBC (England), and
Deutsche Welle (Germany).
It is also heard in broadcasts in India,
Japan, and China, not to mention the many that use
it in Africa. Swahili’s international
appeal has also been helped by the use of its phrases in a number of
popular films like the Lion King, and Out of Africa.
Renowned musicians like Michael Jackson, Lionel Ritchie, Miriam Makeba
and others have used Swahili in some of their compositions.
Overall, there are many reasons that
attract people to learn Swahili. Specific reasons that have been cited
to be a motivating factor for many who enroll to study Swahili include:
Its usefulness for research and other travels in East and Central
Africa, a long written literary tradition, its being considered (by
some) as a window to the African culture, its appeal and the view that
it is easy to learn. Many who have studied Swahili as a foreign
language are continuously finding it useful in voluntary work and in
the job market, especially among the many organizations that are
getting involved in several projects in Africa.
Many who go ahead to establish organizations working in East and
Central Africa, either driven by social entrepreneurial goals or
the
traditional Aid Organizations, have also attested to its usefulness in
penetrating the region.
A lot has been written
about Swahili language and culture and many useful links are included
here to guide you if you would like to read more.