Writes Leo Odera Omolo
MEMBER states of the East African Community {EAC} have been urged to develop Kiswahili as the trading language in the region.
Making this call was the National Museum of Kenya chairman Issa Timamy said for the region to develop economically, this language, which is now spoken widely in the region should be developed as the official code for the EAC economic bloc.
He said “Most developed countries have been using own indigenous languages to promote economic growth and this should be replicated in East Africa.”
Timamy made these remarks while speaking at the Kenyan coastal City of Mombasa during the last week’s inauguration of the Research Institute of Swahili Studies of Eastern Africa {RISSEA} International Conference.
Timamy, however, commended the government of Kenya recent decision to elevate the language to official status in the new constitution, but challenged policymakers to give it professionalism by making it a tool for education in schools.
Kiswahili is the trading language in East Africa and we should take it to a level higher by making it an international language.”It is high time we looked at the language from a broad perspective,” he added.
He challenged Rissea to come u0 with strategies of making Kiswahili an international language for easy communications and trade in the region and other areas of the globe, adding that Rissea itself should be made a prime institute Swahili Studies and urged university students to regularly visit the center for the purpose of learning Kiswahili for research purposes.
Timamy also urged the government through the Ministry of National Heritage to assist the Center with funds to acquire and obtain modern facilities for the language development and research.
National Museum of Kenya director general Idde Omar Farah urged Kenyan to accept the challenge of developing Kiswahili to a higher level of communication and research.
“We at the NMK will do our best to be on the forefront in promoting Kiswahili as our national and trading language. Tanzania has already given us challenge by making Kiswahili one of its official languages alongside English and we should make Kiswahili our trade mark.”
Kenya’s new constitution has elevated Kiswahili to official language status and recommended its development and Rissea now is calling upon Kenyans to use the language widely in their normal communications as a away to develop it much faster.”
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