Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Gender, Culture, Arts and Heritage Aisha Jumwa has affirmed the government’s commitment to constitute a National Kiswahili Council for promoting and developing the language.
Speaking in Mombasa during the celebration of the third World Kiswahili Day at Fort Jesus under the theme “Kiswahili: education and culture of peace”, CS Jumwa said the Cabinet had given the nod for the council’s formation.
She said a draft bill was at the Office of the Attorney General before it is tabled in the National Assembly to be enacted into law.
CS Jumwa urged the Head of State to lobby legislators to pass the bill that would facilitate the Council’s formation before the end of the year.
“My Ministry continues to put in place necessary policies for the development of Kiswahili,” said CS Jumwa, adding that Kiswahili would help in facilitating the implementation of the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) since it is spoken by many people.
She reiterated the need to designate a day for the speaking of Kiswahili in the country where people would be transacting business using the lingua franca that is spoken by more than 200 million people in the world.
Professionals were lauded for the development of Kiswahili, with CS Jumwa noted that Kiswahili in Kenya and Tanzania was being taught from the nursery level urging other East African Community (EAC) partner States to embrace the language in their education system.
“Kiswahili studies have transcended borders of EAC and are being taught in foreign countries. Kiswahili may be recognized as the seventh widely spoken language in the world thus many African countries are preparing to embrace Kiswahili through education and media,” revealed CS Jumwa.
The CS further urged Disc Jockeys (DJs) not to play beats of the National and the EAC Anthems to allow citizens to sing them as a manifestation of patriotism.
“It shouldn’t be just music and beats. We should recite the words that unite the country and convey the message of peace and love in our nation,” said CS Jumwa.
On her part, the Principal Secretary of the State Department for Culture, the Arts and Heritage Ummi Bashir called on the use of technology in the promotion of Kiswahili through innovation.
PS Bashir noted that the government is accelerating efforts for the inclusion of Kiswahili in all digital platforms to reach many people.
“In this digital era, we have a unique opportunity to promote and develop our language through innovation,” said PS Bashir, adding the government would continue to come up with specific strategies to promote Kiswahili including the Kiswahili Council.
Executive Secretary of the East African Kiswahili Commission Dr. Caroline Asiimwe lauded the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for declaring July 7 as a Kiswahili day.
Dr Asiimwe noted that there was a need for Kiswahili-speaking countries to use the language to actualize sustainable development.
“Recognition of Kiswahili by UNESCO is a testament to the language’s role in uniting communities and promotion of peace,” said Dr Asiimwe, promising to accelerate efforts to ensure Kiswahili is used by all the EAC partner states.
According to UNESCO, Kiswahili is one of the ten most widely spoken languages in the world with over 230 million users.
On his part, Uganda Minister for East African Affairs James Ikuya stressed the need for Africa to leverage on the Kiswahili language to unite the entire continent for prosperity.
“Kiswahili is a rich knowledge; it has the potential to connect the continent. Our unity is as important as Africa. We cannot build Africa without a common language,” said Ikuya.
By Sadik Hassan
