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How much is Kiswahili our national language?
2008-01-18 09:07:20
By Editor
Any Tanzanian seeking to establish the extent to which Kiswahili is Tanzania`s national language would, without doubt, be frowned upon as hopelessly naïve or worse than that. That would most likely be because most of our people speak and write the language with some degree of comfort.
It is also decades since Kiswahili was officially designated as our national language and it could thus be argued that far-reaching measures have been taken since to really formalise that through initiatives devised for implementation with that goal in mind.
But have Tanzanians been as serious as they ought to be in promoting Kiswahili, aware that it is the most dependable medium of everyday communication in the country and also officially the national language?
This has a direct bearing on the protracted debate revolving around whether Kiswahili is of greater value, relevance or consequence than English to our country and how we should handle the two languages.
We do not intend to engage in an academic exercise by asking ourselves whether the perceived or presumed fall in the quality of education in the country is indeed due to our failure to master English.
Rather, we would prefer commenting on the comparative realities of how these two languages are used in our country and whether we have been according Kiswahili the honour it deserves by virtue of its being our national language.
Languages exist mainly for the purpose of facilitating communication.
Logically, then, a language serves hardly any purpose unless it makes communication as easy, effortless, meaningful and enjoyable as possible.
It is tragic when a language in fact distorts or impedes communication, and that is where our concern lies.
The government has issued directives and guidelines over the years meant to give Kiswahili greater national recognition, particularly in official circles.
It is mainly thanks to those pronouncements that most of our urban roads, streets and ‘avenues’ now bear Kiswahili names.
This also explains why most signposts in public health, education and other institutions, including all levels of education, are in Kiswahili.
Of course, there has been stiff opposition against this from quarters like academia and some agencies overseeing the interests of foreigners.
Staunch advocates of the language have hit back, asking why Tanzania should not stick to Kiswahili when numberless other countries patriotically stand by their respective national languages.
While it calls for no special effort or skills to see the validity of this argument, many Tanzanians still treat Kiswahili as second fiddle.
We keep running seminar upon seminar and conference upon conference using English even when everyone around is a hundred times more comfortable with Kiswahili.
First Lady Salma Kikwete has just urged agricultural and other experts in Tanzania finding pleasure in using foreign languages or terms to communicate with the public more easily by translating the same into Kiswahili.
She has joined a vigorous lobby determined to see Kiswahili assume its rightful place Tanzania`s national language without necessarily budgeting foreign tongues out of consideration.
It makes much sense and deserves maximum support.
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