WHY GOVERNMENT OF UGANDA SHOULD SUPPORT CHAWAKIU-UG IN PREPARATION OF WORLD KISWAHILI DAY

The government of Uganda should support Swahili associations in developing the Swahili language in Uganda for the following reasons:

1. Promoting language preservation: Supporting Swahili associations like CHAKITAU-UG the lead association helps preserve the language and its cultural significance in Uganda. Uganda has continuously pronounced and showed the need to develop Swahili but secretly forgetting empowering Swahili associations to gear the move. It’s on this point that Uganda government needs to support national Kiswahili Associations before formulation of National Kiswahili Council to help in publicising Swahili.
2. Encouraging language development: Associations can develop language resources, literature, and educational materials, enhancing the language’s usage and proficiency. Under CHAKITAU-UG as a national Kiswahili body, there is a lot of other sub associations that among these include, Uganda Kiswahili writers and Authors forum. These bodies help in producing teaching materials including books and other related resources. The government needs to recognise them and support their interests towards the development of Kiswahili language in Uganda.
3. Fostering community engagement: Swahili associations can engage local communities in language promotion, cultural events, and literacy programs. Different Kiswahili associations have always participated in community engagement activities through conferences and workshops,  sensitising the community about the importance of studying Swahili and other vital community problems.  Its through this engagement that the community aligns with government in promotion of the language.
4. Enhancing language teaching: Associations can provide training and resources for teachers, improving the quality of Swahili language instruction. Teachers of Kiswahili in Uganda are the stakeholders of these associations,  they perform their roles relentlessly regardless of how much they get paid. This commitment requires a hand of government through employing these Teachers and funding higher institutions of learning to bench Swahili in their programs.
5. Promoting cultural exchange: Swahili associations can facilitate cultural exchange programs, enriching Uganda’s cultural diversity and international relations.
6. Empowering local initiatives: Supporting associations empowers local initiatives, promoting ownership and sustainability in language development.
7. Complementing government efforts: Associations can supplement government initiatives, amplifying the impact of language promotion and development programs. The ministry of Gender labour and social development in Uganda plays a crucial role in promoting  gender equality and empowering marginalized groups through language. Forexample through gender sensitive language policy. This cannot be done effectively when associations are left behind.  It’s through this that the government needs to include these associations in implementation of its programmes.
8. Encouraging language documentation: Associations can document and preserve Swahili language and cultural heritage, creating valuable resources for research and education.
9. Fostering regional and international connections: Swahili associations can connect with regional and international organizations, strengthening Uganda’s position in the East African Community and the African Union. This can be done through networking with other Swahili associations in other countries forexample, CHALUFAKITA, CHAUKIDU and other associations, through collaborative projects like conferences to enhance African culture, academic collaborations, and many others. This will Foster regional and international connections but through Kiswahili associations.
10. Demonstrating government commitment: Supporting Swahili associations demonstrates the government’s commitment to promoting linguistic diversity, cultural heritage, and national unity. Kiswahili associations through national and international associations can help to promote cultural preservation,  national unity,  language rights, Education and literacy, cultural identity and economic development.  Its on this note that Kiswahili isn’t only for speaking but also spearheading economic growth.

By supporting Swahili associations, the government of Uganda can harness the energy and expertise of local organizations, promoting the development and preservation of the Swahili language in Uganda.

The government of Uganda should fund Kiswahili Day celebrations in Uganda for the following reasons:

1. Promoting national unity: Kiswahili is a unifying language in Uganda, and celebrating it can foster national cohesion and identity.
2. Preserving cultural heritage: Funding Kiswahili Day celebrations helps preserve Uganda’s cultural heritage and promotes the language’s importance in the country’s history and development.
3. Supporting regional and international commitments: As a member of the East African Community and the African Union, Uganda has committed to promoting Kiswahili as a regional and continental language.
4. Enhancing language development: Government funding can support language development initiatives, such as language documentation, education, and literature promotion.
5. Encouraging linguistic diversity: Celebrating Kiswahili Day promotes linguistic diversity and recognizes the importance of local languages in Uganda’s multilingual society.
6. Tourism and cultural exchange: Funding Kiswahili Day celebrations can attract tourists and promote cultural exchange, supporting Uganda’s tourism industry.
7. Education and literacy: Promoting Kiswahili can improve literacy rates and enhance education outcomes, particularly in rural areas where the language is widely spoken.
8. Empowering local communities: Government funding can empower local communities to take ownership of their language and cultural heritage, promoting community development and engagement.
9. Showcasing Ugandan culture: Kiswahili Day celebrations can showcase Ugandan culture, music, and art, promoting national pride and cultural expression.
10. Commemorating UNESCO designation: Funding Kiswahili Day celebrations acknowledges and commemorates UNESCO’s designation of July 7 as World Kiswahili Language Day.

By funding Kiswahili Day celebrations, the government of Uganda demonstrates its commitment to promoting linguistic diversity, cultural heritage, and national unity.

Why UNESCO designated 7th July as World Swahili day
1. Language is not merely a tool for communication, but the bearer of a whole nexus of cultural expressions and conveys identity, values and visions of the world. It is a vessel which contains cultural diversity and the dialogue among civilizations. It is a bridge that enables closer relations between societies, a richer diversity of forms of expression and interaction, and the exchange of support and empowerment.

2. Kiswahili is one of the most widely used languages of the African family, and the most widely spoken in sub-Saharan Africa. It is among the 10 most widely spoken languages in the world, with more than 200 million speakers.

3. It is one of the lingua franca in many countries within East, Central and Southern Africa as well as in the Middle East. It is also taught across major universities and colleges globally.

4. Kiswahili language is one of the official languages of the African Union (AU), Southern African Development Community (SADC) and East African Community (EAC). It is therefore, an indispensable tool in achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and in facilitating regional integration particularly in the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA).

5. In the 1950s the United Nations established the Kiswahili language unit of United Nations Radio, and today Kiswahili is the only African language within the Directorate of the Global Communications at the United Nations.

6. Multilingualism, which is a core value of the United Nations, is an essential factor in harmonious communication between peoples, as it promotes unity in diversity and international understanding, tolerance and dialogue. The United Nations General Assembly, through its resolution 71/328 of 11 September 2017, on multilingualism, welcomed 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 throughout the world.

7. Linguistic diversity and multilingualism are domains of strategic importance that UNESCO, promotes in all fields of its mandate, through an interdisciplinary approach involving all programme sectors. There is a growing awareness that languages play a vital role in development, not only in ensuring cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue, but also in attaining quality education for all and strengthening cooperation, in building inclusive knowledge societies, in preserving cultural heritage, and in mobilizing political will for applying the benefits of science and technology to sustainable development.

8. The 39th SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government held in Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania in August 2019, approved Kiswahili as the fourth SADC official working language, in recognition of its contribution in peace-building and liberation struggles of Southern Africa and Africa in general.

9. It is proposed that 7 July, which was the day in 1954 that Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) under the late Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere, First President of the United Republic of Tanzania, adopted Kiswahili as a unifying language for independence struggles, to be proclaimed a World Kiswahili Language Day at the United Nations. Indeed, former President and Father of the Nation of Kenya, the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, also used Kiswahili language through the use of the popular “Harambee” slogan in mobilizing the people of Kenya in the struggle against colonialism. In addition, on 7 July 2000, the East African Community (EAC) was re-established to rekindle the spirit of cooperation and integration among the East African people of the United Republic of Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda where Kiswahili language is widely spoken. Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan later joined the EAC and are now members.

10. The international day will be celebrated by all stakeholders, in recognition of the global relevance of Kiswahili as a language of global communication built in the daily life of Africans in a constant enrichment of its multiculturality, without any financial implications for United Nations’ regular budget.
Proposed draft resolution

11. In light of the above, the General Conference may wish to adopt a decision along the following lines:

The General Conference,
Having examined document 41 C/61,
Recalling 212 EX/Decision 48,
Acknowledging the spirit of United Nations General Assembly resolution 71/328 of 11 September 2017, on multilingualism, which among other things, encouraged the Secretary-General and institutions such as UNESCO to consider extending the important initiative of implementing a day dedicated to each of the official languages to other non-official languages spoken throughout the world.

Recognizing the role the Kiswahili language plays in promoting cultural diversity, creating awareness and fostering dialogue among civilizations,
Taking into account the approval and adoption of Kiswahili as an official and working language of the African Union (African Union), Southern African Development Community (SADC) and East African Community (EAC) as an important tool in fostering regional integration,
Appreciating the 39th Ordinary Summit of Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and Government held in Dar-es-Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania, in August 2019 for recognizing the Kiswahili language’s contribution in peace building and in the liberation struggle of Southern Africa and Africa in general.

Noting the need to promote 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 dialogue, decides to proclaim 7 July of each year as World Kiswahili Language Day.