Department of Education introduces kiSwahili in schools

News that the Department of Education will this year be introducing kiSwahili as an optional language to be taught in schools in South Africa has been received with overwhelming excitement by scores of people approached by Kathorus MAIL in the Eastern African countries of Tanzania and Kenya.

Both countries and others on the east coast of Africa use kiSwahili as their official language. Meanwhile, their citizens have hailed South Africa’s Education Minister, Angie Motshekga, for the move, which many described as a unifying step in the right direction.

An air hostess for Kenya Airways, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the introduction of kiSwahili in South African schools as a victory for unity among all people of Africa.

“Without a doubt, this will bring an end to the problems brought about by xenophobia between non-resident South Africans and their fellow Africans, especially those from the East Coast,” she said.

A Tanzanian immigration officer for a private airline that ferries passengers between Kilimanjaro International Airport and mainland Tanzania, who also requested not be named for professional reasons, expressed similar sentiments, pointing out that the move to introduce kiSwahili in the South African school curriculum would create harmony and make communication easier for South Africans in the future. He added that this would help break the language barrier by speaking a language which can be spoken and understood by all.

Department of Basic Education (DOBE) spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga recently said during a media briefing: “This is the biggest language used in Africa. The DOBE believes it will also be good for trade on the continent and the people of the regions where it is spoken.”

Mhlanga added the DOBE will also see to it that the teaching of kiSwahili in South African schools grows, prospers and thrives so that all South Africans will be able to learn and enjoy the language, as it is a popular language in the region.

But for many South African parents and their schoolgoing children, the introduction of kiSwahili into the country’s education curriculum still remains a mystery. Most parents and learners approached by Kathorus MAIL in Kathorus said they had never heard, nor do they understand, the language, even though some of them admitted that it is spoken in several countries on the continent.

“To me it is still a huge mystery and I have no idea in which countries it is spoken or where it really originates from, even though I believe it is a popular language spoken in several parts of the continent,” said Dorothy Sibeko, a mother of a 14-year-old Grade Nine learner in Palm Ridge. Sibeko, however, told Kathorus MAIL she believed her daughter should learn the language.

“Who knows, it might help her build better relations with her peers on the continent in the future,” Sibeko said.

Hassan Ali describes kiSwahili in his book, A Brief History of the kiSwahili Language, revised by Abdurahman Juma, as a Bantu (African) language. He writes: “It has borrowed words from other languages such as Arabic, probably as a result of the Swahili people using the Koran (Quran), which is written in Arabic for spiritual guidance for Muslims.”

He adds: “In regards to the formation of the kiSwahili culture and language, some scholars attribute these phenomena to the intercourse of African and Asiatic people on the coast of East Africa. The word ‘Swahili’ was used by early Arab visitors to the coast of East Africa. Ultimately, the word came to be applied to describe the coast and the people living in the area, as well as the language they spoke.

“Regarding the history of the kiSwahili language, the older view linked to the colonial time asserts that the kiSwahili language originates from Arabians and Persians who moved to the East African coast. Given the fact that only the vocabulary can be associated with these groups but the syntax or grammar of the language remains Bantu, this argument is almost forgotten. It is well known that any language that has to grow and expand its territories ought to absorb some vocabulary from other languages in a way.”

According to Ali, a suggestion has been made that kiSwahili is an old language.

“The earliest known document recounting the past situation on the East African coast was written in the second century AD (in the Greek language by an anonymous author in Alexandria in Egypt) and was called the Periplus of the Erythrean Sea. It describes Arab merchants visiting the East African coast at the time from Southern Arabia and how they they used to speak with the natives in their local language and intermarried with them.

“Those who suggest kiSwahili is an old language point to this early source for the possible antiquity of the kiSwahili language,” said Ali.

In the next issue, Ali will demonstrate the Arab, Persian and Bantu languages’ contributions to the linguistic enrichment of kiSwahili.

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