THE envisaged first conference on Kiswahili under the auspices of the East African Community (EAC), which is slated for Zanzibar, is most delightful, coming, as it does, against the backdrop of the momentum that the language is gaining.
The conference is actually long overdue,
but as the adage goes, ‘better late than never”. It may be recalled
that Kiswahili gained a foothold along the Indian Ocean coastline,
courtesy of intermarriages between Bantus and Arabs.
It became a major medium of
communication within the original EAC comprising Kenya, Uganda and
Tanzania, and, although the grouping broke up in 1977 after ten-year
span, the language not only survived, but extended its tentacles as
farther afield as central and southern Africa.
The revival of the community, plus the
expansion of membership to include Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan, have
raised the importance of the language to a higher level, and makes
initiatives for popularising it farther more compelling.
The conference from 5th to 6th September
this year, is envisioned to bring about many changes in the community
through Kiswahili language. That’s great, because besides cementing the
integration and economic development agenda, the event will also focus
on stimulating business and employment opportunities.
For the wider and deeper the language spreads, the more the solidarity amongst the EAC partner states would be strengthened.
The conference will furthermore focus on
enlightening member states on politics and democracy through the use of
the language, considering that promoting democratic governance is an
ideal that all the countries are enjoined to pursue.
It is delighting that the conference
will also focus on the language spearheading constructive changes by
championing communication and relations in the public, well as cement
cohesions in the citizens as a conduit further to reach all regardless
of tribe, political affiliation, religion and others.
Similarly, we are informed that the
organisers of the conference will bring together Policy makers and
implementers, business community members, various professionals in
different industries and communication, institutional professionals and
other Kiswahili stakeholders who will offer a forum for discussions on
EAC can grow and change in implementation of its policy and development.
Whichever any think-tank will view this,
it is the right move in the region that is evolving to keep pace with
changes in the present environment and world.
The school of thought of grooming the
language to bring changes and unite the community will make the citizens
of the region realize that they are one and belong in the same family,
with one father and mother who is bringing them up with the same
language and culture, and will likely limit suspicions.
It is also encouraging that the aim of
the conference is to make the language instigate various development in
new areas, reviewing challenges and suggesting possible solutions for
them in the community and if the quote Nelson Mandela once said: If you
talk to a man in a language he understands (read foreign languages),
that goes to his head.
If you talk to him in his language (read
Kiswahili in this context), that goes to his heart.” Plus, the language
has to be engineered into a conduit for conveying constructive changes
in the community, and more so on Information, Communication and
Technology (ICT) so that its citizens are enlightened and keep pace with
the technology.
It is apparent that the more the
grouping’s estimated 160 million people know how to read, write and
communicate in Kiswahili, their thinking, opinions and understanding of
EAC, corridors for other development paradigms will also open up.
If the conference will be attended by
member States representatives, it is certain EAC leaders will speak with
one voice and take bold decisions to solve conflicts infiltrating in
their neighbouring countries, which give room to instability and a
loophole to mayhem, looting of resources let alone mild demonstrations
in urban areas.
Apparently in reference to this kind of
conference, former President Benjamin Mkapa recently attending African
Leaders Forum 2017 Summit in Johannesburg, where regional bodies-the
African Union (AU), and Southern African Development Community (SADC) in
their mandate to seek amicable solutions in areas of conflict, warned
that unless African leaders speak with one voice (read Kiswahili uniting
EAC) woes and related vices will be part and parcel of their member
states order of the day.
To that end, academicians and other
stakeholders should publish more books in the language. And, as
conference hosts, plus the fact that we have a head start, Tanzania
should play a pivotal role in elevating Kiswahili to an East African
regional lingua franca, along the lines of what Arabic is in relation to
northern Africa.
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