Celebrating World Kiswahili Language Day: Top 5 Facts You Need To Know

Today is World Kiswahili Language Day, a day to celebrate one of Africa’s most widely spoken languages in the world. Kiswahili is a vibrant and beautiful language, with a rich history and culture. Here are five facts you need to know about Kiswahili.

“Mwanangu utamu wa Kiswahili ni kutukuzwa.”

— Mwalimu Kamau, Swahili Teacher

Why celebrate world Kiswahili language day on July 7?

The date is one of the most important days in Africa. On the eve of July 7, 1954, the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere of the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) and Tanzania’s first president made a momentous decision. Mwalimu Julius Nyerere chose Swahili as his country’s unifying language.

Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya’s first president and founding father, followed suit later. During the fight for independence, he used the language to rally Kenyans.

Swahili is the most widely spoken language in Africa

Although there are over 2,000 languages spoken on the African continent, Swahili is by far the most widely spoken.

It is spoken by over 200 million people in most of the Sub-Saharan countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Congo, Mozambique, South Sudan, Comoros, Rwanda, Burundi and Somalia.

The Swahili language is a mixture of African, Arabic, and European influences, making it one of Africa’s most prominent languages. To put it another way, it’s a critical part of Africa’s cultural and economic life.

Swahili is a very rich and diversified language that draws on many African cultures. It is one of the few truly pan-African languages, and its use is only expected to increase in the future.

Uganda recently made Swahili mandatory to be taught in schools and soon it will be incorporated in all learning materials.

Swahili is the first African language to be honored by UNESCO

According to the declaration made by the UNESCO Member States at its 41st session in Paris in 2021, the 7th of July is designated as World Kiswahili Language Day each year.

Kiswahili is one of the most extensively spoken African languages, and the most frequently spoken in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of the top ten most widely spoken languages in the world, with about 200 million native speakers.

Swahili is one of the official languages of the African Union

In February 2022, Swahili was adopted as an official language of the African Union. In response to a request from Philip Mpango, vice president of Tanzania who argued that Kiswahili is already in use in many communities, including the East African Community (EAC), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and is the official language of Kenya, Tanzania, DRC and is widely spoken in Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia and South Sudan.

Swahili is easy to learn!

Are you considering picking up one of the African languages? Try your hand at learning Swahili. Because it is one of the few languages spoken in Sub-Saharan Africa that does not have a lexical tone, much like English. Swahili is the easiest African language to learn for people who already understand English.