DAR ES SALAAM: TANZANIA is taking all necessary steps including learning from the International Organisation of La Francophonie (IOF) to commercialise and boost Kiswahili language globally, Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Ministry for Culture, Arts and Sports, Gerson Msigwa has said.
Mr Msigwa revealed this to reporters at Francophonie reception held in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday evening saying the ministry will soon stage similar events to promote the language that has approximately 500 million people globally.
The PS who represented the Minister for Culture, Arts and Sports, Dr Damas Ndumbaro at the event hosted at the Swiss Residence in Dar es Salaam, said as the IOF uses French to push its agendas globally, Tanzania will be boosting Kiswahili to become a tool for attracting investors, increasing employment opportunities as well as promoting its culture.
“The country is in a campaign of promoting Kiswahili…so what IOF does to promote French is the same that Tanzania should take to promote and commercialise Kiswahili. We have come up with strategies which will be executed by our institutions including National Kiswahili Council,” he said.
Welcoming the participants, the Ambassador of Switzerland to Tanzania Didier Chassot highlighted the role of La Francophonie in promoting cultural and linguistic diversity of Francophonie with the objective of marketing the French language in its linguistic and cultural diversity through the common values of democracy, peace, human rights, prosperity and gender equality most notably.
Thirteen diplomatic missions in Tanzania (Belgium, Burundi, Canada, Comoros, Egypt, France, Democratic Republic of Congo, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Switzerland and Vietnam) who are members of the IOF are celebrating Francophonie again this year with the objective of promoting the French language.
The celebrations included movie screenings and live music to an exhibition and a football to entertain participants in Dar es Salaam.
Established in 1970, the IOF is a multilateral body that brings together 88 states and governments that use French as a medium of communication. It is dedicated to promoting the French language, cultural and linguistic diversity, strengthening democracy and human rights, and fostering sustainable development.
Switzerland works within the IOF to share its experience as a multilingual French-speaking country, as well as its culture of promoting peace and democracy.
Switzerland has been a member of the IOF since 1996 and is now its third-largest contributor.
Switzerland’s main areas of action within la Francophonie concern democracy, peace and human rights, the promotion of International Geneva’s digital ecosystem, and support for cultural and linguistic plurality.
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