Nurture Kiswahili´s export potential
Kiswahili is an important export commodity which
if properly promoted could bring in billions of shillings in revenue through
foreigners coming into the country to learn how to speak and write it.
According to Principal of the MS-Training Centre
for Development Cooperation, Dr Suma Kaare an average of 1,700 foreigners are
taught Kiswahili at her centre every year, attracting over $500,000 (nearly
800m/-) in fees.
For the last 30 years, MS-TCDC, which is located
in Usa River area, has developed extensive expertise in enabling expatriates to
improve their language skills. “As a result, our training has gained a very
strong reputation.”
She said the language is spoken by six countries
in Africa, and in recent years, it has grown in popularity in countries as far
as the US, China and other developed countries.
“In a year, we’ve been receiving more than 1,700
students from Africa and the rest of the world. Most of them come for short and
long-term courses,” she said, adding that some of the students come from Kenya,
Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana and others from the rest of the world.
The centre has been receiving university students
from the US and European countries, who attend Kiswahili classes at the centre.
“It is high time Tanzanians felt proud of their
language, which is spoken by one billion people in Africa,” said the boss of
the training centre, adding: “Kiswahili is an important business opportunity
that needs to be explored.”
A new lab for Kiswahili is in the pipeline as the
centre prepares itself to start offering a diploma course in Kiswahili.
Dr Suma decried of increase of visa fees for
foreigners who are coming into the country, saying: “$500 is a lot of money,
which discourages some of the foreigners wishing to visit the country.
I appeal to the government to reduce the amount,
so that we encourage more people to come to Tanzania,” she said.
One of Germany’s PhD students at Kiel university
Ulrike Doerr said: “I am lucky to be here learning Kiswahili, one of the widely
spoken African languages.”
“I have been hearing about the language for years,
but now I’m in class learning it,” she beamed.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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