HAVANA: TANZANIA has expressed readiness to use Kiswahili language as a tool for spurring Africa’s economic growth.Minister for Culture, Arts and Sports, Dr Damas Ndumbaro, made the remarks on Friday on behalf of President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the First International Kiswahili Conference held in Havana, Cuba.
The event was attended by around 400 participants from various parts of the world, including delegation and Kiswahili stakeholders and professionals from Tanzania.
It also included the launch of Español-Swahili dictionary prepared by the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) in collaboration with the University of Ha- vana, as well as the unveiling of Swahili-Spanish proverbs book published by the Kiswahili Council of Tanzania (BAKITA).
Furthermore, a Swahili and Spanish learning book prepared by Kiswahili experts from State University of Zanzibar (SUZA) was launched and also the unveiling of Mwalimu Nyerere statue in the Heroes’ Park located in Havana.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan and her Cuban coun- terpart, Miguel Diaz-Canel, were scheduled to attend the event but the Tanzanian Head of State postponed her visit to the island nation due to the recent impact of Hurricane Rafael.
Minister Ndumbaro said that during the liberation struggles of the countries in Southern Africa, Cuba not only supported the nations with technical assistance and weapons but also volunteered its soldiers to join them in the fight for the dignity and respect of Africans.
He said that Tanzania decided to hold the First International Kiswahili Conference, since the East African nation was an important centre for freedom fighters across the African continent and the primary language used during the movements was Kiswahili.
“Freedom fighters from various African countries used Kiswahili to communicate and today, those freedom fighters are leaders in their nations… as we continue the struggle for economic liberation in Africa and seek collaboration with our Caribbean counterparts, we believe that Kiswahili will facilitate and enable com- munication to promote integration in trade, tourism and investment across Africa,” he said.
“For the people of the Caribbean to benefit more from the opportunities available in Africa, they have every reason to adopt Kiswahili as a tool to strengthen our bilateral relationships.
Likewise, Africans can benefit more from opportunities in the Caribbean; as the number of Kiswahili speakers in this region grows, trade between us will increase significantly,” added Dr Ndumbaro.
Dr Ndumbaro added that Kiswahili has continued to grow and spread by being used in various regional integration communities, including the African Union (AU) and is recognised by the United Nations agencies like UNESCO.
He called upon Caribbean people and stakeholders to seize the opportunity to learn the language, emphasising its importance in fostering cultural integration, trade, tourism and economic growth.
“We believe in the power of the Kiswahili language to connect the people of Tanzania and Cuba, as well as those of Africa and the Caribbean, fostering greater solidarity between us,” he said.
On his part, Minister for Foreign Affairs and East Afri- can Cooperation, Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, conveyed President Samia’s greetings to the government of Cuba and the University of Havana for their willingness and ac- tive participation in making the conference a success in their country.
He urged stakeholders, promoters and all Kiswahili enthusiasts in Tanzania to take advantage of the opportunity to promote language, given the global competition surrounding the language.
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“President Samia is actively opening up the country, she is promoting Kiswahili and creating numerous opportunities for us. Now it is up to you to seize these opportunities. Language is competitive globally, if you do not embrace it, we will be overshadowed by our neighbours,” said Mr Kombo.
He also conveyed President Samia’s comfort message to the President of Cuba and its people following Hurricane Raphael, which affected two cities in the country and assured that Tanzania will continue to collaborate with Cuba to uphold Kiswahili diplomacy.
