Africa-Press – Tanzania. AS Kiswahili continues to gain popularity globally, Zanzibar President Hussein Mwinyi has directed respective authorities to fast-track the formation of policy and regulations that will protect and promote the use of standard Kiswahili.
In his speech read on his behalf by the Second Vice-President, Hemed Abdulla Suleiman, President Mwinyi said that, despite the fact that Kiswahili is widely used, the language has also been distorted.
“It is unfortunate that despite the growing use of the language both locally and internationally with many emerging young writers publishing books and articles, the language distortion is also taking place,” Dr Mwinyi said in his speech at the 5th Kiswahili International Forum held here on Sunday.
Dr Mwinyi directed the Zanzibar Kiswahili Council (BAKIZA) which organised the forum to collaborate with the Ministry of Information, Youth,Artists, Culture, and Sports to ensure the policy and regula- tions are formed.
He said that some readers and researchers have been identifying errors, misleading quotes, sayings, and inappro- priate use of the language in general. ‘We should not ignore these mistakes … language protection measures are required before it is too late,” he said.
The president further said that the government has been taking a number of initiatives to promote the use of standard Kiswahili and backing up efforts by various associations to advertise Kiswahili.
“Fortunately, the language is now a commodity benefiting Tanzanians as far as teaching jobs are concerned,” noted President Mwinyi.
The use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Kiswahili was among the topics discussed during the one-day forum, which attracted Kiswahili experts and writers from the East African region and beyond, as he encouraged increased use of ICT in promoting the language.
BAKIZA Chairperson Ms Saade Said Mbarouk said the forum aimed at promoting Kiswahili through ICT so as to reach many people in different parts of the world and encourage them to learn Kiswahili.
East Africa Kiswahili As- sociation’s Mr Henry Indindi from Kenya and Mr Ali Oth- man from Zanzibar had the opinion that establishment of libraries in schools and at district level, production of Kiswahili books, and strengthening use of Kiswahili in teaching will help promote the language.
“We are happy that the UN has set July 7 as the International Day of Kiswahili, let us be innovative and creative enough in finding better ways of promoting Kiswahili,” Mr Indindi suggested.
The Minister for Information, Youth, Art, Culture and Sports, Ms Tabia Maulid Mwita, said the government was determined to protect and promote better use of standard Kiswahili at home and internationally by applying ICT as indicated in the forum theme.”
The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on November 23 during its 41st Member States’ session held in Paris, France, designated 7th July as the World Kiswahili Language Day.
This makes Kiswahili the first African language to be feted by the UN.
It is one of the official languages of the African Union (AU).
Kiswahili is one of the most widely used languages of the African family, and the most widely spoken in sub- Saharan Africa.
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