MShikamano, April 2005

Uniting East Africa

KISWAHILI: In spite of local obstacles, cultural reluctance and the frequent use of English, East Africans still have their own common mother tongue

By Michael Bech

10. April 2005

If nothing else unites the three East African countries Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, the language does. Kiswahili is now officially the common language in the East African Community.

And why not? The non tribal language has been used by East Africans for decades. Through the days of the colonial powers it was the identity of East Africans, after independence it rooted in each of the three countries in different ways and the language has always been closely linked to the people of East Africa .

Eliminates tribal languages

Kiswahili – or Swahili - is spoken in all countries of Eastern Africa . For Tanzania, deliberate efforts were made by the independent nation to promote the language. The former president Julius K. Nyerere managed to unite more than 120 different tribes with each their tribal language in one common language and a common identity as Tanzanians.

Swahili is the national as well as the official language in Tanzania - almost all Tanzanians speak Swahili and are unified by it. Tanzania's special relations with countries of southern Africa was the chief reason behind the spread of Swahili to Zambia, Malawi, South Africa, and other neighbouring countries to the south.

In Kenya, Swahili is the national language, but official correspondence is still conducted in English. In Uganda, the national language is English but Swahili enjoys a large number of speakers especially in the military. As a matter of fact, during the Idi Amin's rule Swahili was declared the national language of Uganda . However, the declaration has never been seriously observed nor repealed by the successive governments, and many Ugandans still see the language as the voice of the military.

The Swahili language is basically of Bantu (African) origin. It has borrowed words from other languages such as Arabic probably as a result of the Swahili people using the Quran written in Arabic for spiritual guidance as Muslims.

The formation of the Swahili culture and language is by some scholars related to the intercourse of African and Asiatic people on the coast of East Africa. The word ‘Swahili’ was used by early Arab visitors to the coast and it means ‘the coast’. Ultimately it came to be applied to the people and the language.  

Michael Bech is MS Tanzania's information officer