Swahili

Swahili (or Kiswahili as it is called when one is speaking the language) is a Bantu language.

Swahili emerged on the East African coast around the 9th century. Nowadays, it is the official language of Tanzania and Kenya, and one of the four national languages of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is also used in neighbouring countries including Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, northern Mozambique, Somalia, and the Comoros Islands.

With an estimated population between 80 and 100 million speakers, Swahili is among the most extensively used African languages south of the Sahara.

Swahili is taught in academic institutions all over the world from Japan to Mexico.

Apart from being among the most widely spoken and taught languages of Eastern Africa, Swahili has become also very popular in media and international organisations. It is aired on world radio stations such as the BBC, Voice of America, and Deutsche Welle; and it is one of the African Union’s working languages.

_{Uchoraji wa Tingatinga. Tingatinga paintings (taken by S.Talento)                             |Dau. A dhow (taken by S.Talento)}