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Swahili​—International Language of Africa

By “Awake!” correspondent in Zaire

DO YOU know any Swahili? You have probably heard the word “safari.” Did you realize that it is the Swahili word for “travel”?

Many Africans find the Swahili language appealing because it is not a tribal tongue. There is no Swahili tribe. So the language has a neutral quality. Thus in Africa, where tribalism is a divisive factor, the use of Swahili serves to unite people.

Many Africans know Swahili in addition to their tribal tongue. Also, many Europeans, Asians and others have learned it because of its wide usage. Even some American and European universities have begun to teach it. The language is spoken all over central and eastern Africa, in an area populated by some 50 million people.

One can start in southwest Zaire, right on the Angola border, and use Swahili to talk with people of the Lunda tribe. Then going east, one can communicate with the Baluba, another large African tribe. Continuing east, a person will find that knowledge of Swahili permits him to speak with the Watusi in Ruanda, the Masai in Tanzania and other tribes in Kenya, Uganda and Burundi. Even as far north as Somalia, and over a thousand miles south into Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique, one encounters Swahili-speaking peoples.

In Tanzania and Kenya knowledge of the language is considered indispensable for civil servants, settlers, missionaries and businessmen. In fact, Swahili is the official language of Tanzania, and may soon enjoy that distinction in Kenya.

In southern Zaire Africans from many tribes have found work in the mines, and they live together in the big cities, such as Lubumbashi. Knowledge of Swahili has provided them a common language, which has helped to unite them. Now most of their children learn Swahili as their mother tongue.

Particularly has Swahili played an important role in trade, permitting diverse peoples to carry on business with one another. For example, Greek and Asian merchants, who do not speak the official language​—English in parts of East Africa and French in most of Central Africa—​often depend on Swahili for their work.

The Swahili language developed among the descendants of Arabs who settled along the eastern coast of Africa. Their earliest known settlement is believed to date to 689 C.E. The Arabs married African women, principally those of the Bantu tribe. Thus Swahili has its basis in the Bantu languages, but is greatly influenced by the language of the Arabs and Indians. The name Swahili comes from the Arabic word “swahil,” meaning “coasts,” which identifies the place of origin of the tongue.

As a result of its use in trade, however, the vocabulary has been derived from many sources. The English will feel at home when they encounter words such as “bulangeti” for blanket, “kabati” for cupboard and “bulosho” for brush. The Portuguese will recognize “mesa” (table) and “manteka” (butter). Words also are derived from French and German.

Swahili has a logically developed grammar and a vocabulary of over 5,000 words. Many words give shades of meaning, certain ones corresponding with “patience,” “forbearance,” “perseverance,” and so forth. Also single words can express a great deal. For example, “hajaiwapa” would be translated, “He has not yet given it to them.”

Yet Swahili is not difficult to learn. Words are easy to pronounce, as well as to spell. There are such helpful simplifications as “water of fruits” for “juice,” and “ship of bird” for “airplane.” A vocabulary of 200 words is sufficient for most everyday conversations.

Due to the large area over which it is spoken and the many people who speak it, Swahili is by no means uniform. But there have been efforts at standardization.

Fine literature, principally the Bible, is available in Swahili. However, there are also available a number of publications of Jehovah’s witnesses, including the Bible-study aid The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life. Thus Swahili is now being used extensively to spread the good news of God’s kingdom among many tribes of Africa.