The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) celebrated the first ever World Kiswahili Language Day on 7th July 2022.
World Kiswahili Language Day will be annually observed across the globe on 7th July to recognise Kiswahili, one of the most widely spoken languages in Africa and the only African language within the Directorate of the Global Communications at the United Nations(UN).
- The first ever World Kiswahili language day (2022) is celebrated under the theme: “Kiswahili for peace and prosperity”.
- Kiswahili is the first African Language to have this honour. Kiswahili is also known as Swahili language or kiSwahili.
The day offers a platform to promote the potential of Kiswahili to achieve both the UN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and the African Union Agenda 2063.
Background:
Resolution 41 C/61 adopted during the 41st session of the General Conference of UNESCO on 23rd November 2021, proclaimed the 7th July of every year as the World Kiswahili language Day.
- The annual observance of the World Kiswahili language Day aims to promote the use of the Kiswahili language as a beacon for unity, peace, and enhanced multiculturalism.
Why July 7?
On 7th July 1954, the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) under the late Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere, First President of the United Republic of Tanzania, adopted Kiswahili as a unifying language for independence struggles.
Significance of Kiswahili:
i.With more than 200 million speakers, Kiswahili is among the 10 most widely spoken languages in the world.
ii.Kiswahili is the most widely spoken in Sub-Saharan Africa.
iii.Kiswahili is one of the lingua franca(common language) in many countries within East, Central and Southern Africa and the Middle East.
iv.Kiswahili language is one of the official languages of the African Union (AU) and Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Note: The UN established the Kiswahili language unit of UN Radio in the 1950s.
Events of Kiswahili Day 2022:
The events of the inaugural World Kiswahili Language Day(7th July 2022) include a symposium on “Kiswahili for peace and prosperity” and events portraying the Kiswahili culture and engaging a multitude of stakeholders
