Kiswahili Language Day 2023: On July 7, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) observed World Kiswahili Language Day. The United Nations established the Kiswahili language section of United Nations Radio in the 1950s, and Kiswahili is now the only African language inside the United Nations Directorate of Global Communications. Kiswahili is the first African language to receive this distinction. Swahili, or kiSwahili, is another name for Kiswahili. The day offers a platform to promote the potential of Kiswahili to achieve both the UN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and the African Union Agenda 2063.
Daily Current Affairs Quiz: July 2023
Why July 7?
On July 7, 1954, the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU), led by the late Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere, First President of the United Republic of Tanzania, established Kiswahili as a uniting language for liberation activities.
Theme of Kiswahili Language Day
The Theme of 2023: “Unleashing Kiswahili’s potential in the digital era”
Significance of Kiswahili:
i. Kiswahili is one of the world’s ten most frequently spoken languages, with around 200 million speakers.
ii. Kiswahili is the most commonly spoken language in Sub-Saharan Africa.
iii. Kiswahili is one of the lingua franca(common language) in many countries within East, Central and Southern Africa and the Middle East.
iv. Kiswahili is an official language of both the African Union (AU) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
History of the Day
Through its resolution 71/328 on multilingualism on September 11, 2017, the United Nations General Assembly welcomed the implementation of a day dedicated to each of its official languages in order to inform and raise awareness of their history, culture, and use, and encouraged the Secretary-General and institutions such as UNESCO to consider extending this important initiative to other non-official languages spoken around the world. In this regard, the 41st session of the General Conference of UNESCO adopted Resolution 41 C/61, which recognised the role of the Kiswahili language in promoting cultural diversity, creating awareness, and fostering dialogue among civilizations, and emphasised the importance of promoting multilingualism as a core value of the United Nations and an essential factor in harmonious communication between peoples, which promotes unity in diversity and international understanding, tolerance, and understanding. Resolution 41 C/61, adopted during the 41st session of UNESCO’s General Conference on November 23, 2021, designated the 7th of July as World Kiswahili Language Day. The annual observance of the World Kiswahili language Day aims to promote the use of the Kiswahili language as a beacon for unity, peace, and enhanced multiculturalism.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- UNESCO Headquarters: Paris, France;
- UNESCO Founded: 16 November 1945, London, United Kingdom;
- UNESCO (Director-General): Audrey Azoulay;
