Scholar wishes for Kiswahili to become business language

Arusha. A Tanzanian scholar wants Kiswahili developed as a language of business and diplomacy.

Prof Fikeni Senkoro says there was an urgent need to develop the language "to make it marketable in the people's daily lives and business transactions."

He said with languages increasingly becoming commodities in the global stage, Kiswahili which is widely spoken in the East African region, should not be left behind.

He made the remarks during the climax of the second World Kiswahili Day celebrations in Kampala organized by the East African Community (EAC).

The Kiswahili language scholar at the University of Dar es Salaam, regretted that most Africans worship foreign languages due to their colonial heritage. This has seen the continent divided into Anglophone (English), Francophone (French) and Lusophone (Portuguese) linguistic zones.

“The place of this language (Kiswahili) in the midst of multilingualism is multi-faceted. It includes the foreign languages that were forced on us through colonialism," he said.

Other challenges facing the language, he added, had come from negative perceptions and singled out Uganda where Kiswahili had been viewed as a language of the brutal force of the army and police.

The don, however, observed that all was not lost as the Kiswahili language sphere is spreading across East and Central Africa with cases abound of being elevated to a national language.

Already some EAC partner states, notably Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, had already established National Kiswahili Councils to promote the language. Prof Senkoro stressed the need to ensure that Kiswahili is gradually adopted as a medium of instruction in those areas where it is well spoken and taught as a language where it is not.

The language which originated from the East African coast, is currently spoken by about 200 million people across the region. Turning to the EAC, he recommended the revival of the East African Publishing House (EAPH) so that it is tasked to publish, print and distribute Kiswahili teaching materials. Speaking at the event, a Kenyan don Prof Kenneth Simala said relatively little research has been undertaken on the Kiswahili language.

Prof Simala, is the pioneer executive secretary of the East African Kiswahili Commission (EAKC), as an institution of the EAC created to promote the language.

He said Kiswahili was the most suitable language and single most critical factor in the construction of African identity and has the capacity to unite Africa. The development of the language should, however, acknowledge, recognize and respect existing multilingualism in Africa.

Uganda Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja said Kiswahili has not only been a unifying factor within the EAC states, but was bent to enhance regional integration.

The language, she went on, has forged "a sense of identity" among highly diverse ethnic groups in the EA, citing 56 tribes in Uganda, 42 in Kenya and more than 120 in Tanzania.

The PM said that the EAC’s small and at times disintegrated countries can do so little in terms of trade and investment without integrating.

The partner states economies must be integrated not only as a matter of survival but in order incorporate the regional economies "to create bigger markets ".

Ms Nabbanja said the common borders within the EAC bloc were not yet conducive for business due to the existence of unnecessary barriers.

These include tariff and non-tariff barriers (NTBs) and all sorts of other obstacles between ourselves, she said, emphasizing the need to "fully exploit and harness existing competitive advantages".

The PM added; “Our countries continue to lag behind because we are not fetching a competitive price from our products. We do not add value to our raw materials but sell them at giveaway prices".

Uganda deputy prime minister and minister for EAC Affairs Rebecca Kadaga said the ability to communicate in Kiswahili by the business persons would enhance cross-border trade.

The language is also set to create employment opportunities for translators and interpreters of Kiswahili "thereby contributing to reducing youth unemployment".

EAC secretary general Peter Mathuki said development of Kiswahili should not be confined to the medium of instruction in the school systems.

“We urge partner states to further encourage universities and other specialised centres to teach and carry out in depth research on the language", he said.