Promoting Kiswahili
The program aimed at strengthening cultural, academic, and professional ties between the diaspora and Kenya through programming and exchanges that highlight shared values and promote bilateral cooperation. This is being developed against the background that mutual respect for our global experiences and culture is a major key to bridging understanding and collaboration among the black race. Learning the history, context and individual stories of a community can lead to stronger relationships built on empathy and trust.
Identified as a key barrier to this is language. The language exchange program between the Kenyan community and communities in the diaspora is designed to promote mutual understanding and better cooperation between the participants in both countries.
Objectives/ Our Goal
Using a strengths-based approach, we know that there are already some natural connections that have been established between the African Diasporic community and the Swahili language. A salient example is the celebration of Kwanzaa, the day after Christmas, in the USA. This celebration incorporates Swahili language and values in a cultural expression.
In partnership with the University of Nairobi, we worked to develop an easily accessible platform to learn Kiswahili so that the courses will be accessible to the Diaspora. The process of developing the curriculum is currently being completed, with the kind financial support from the Imperative Fund.
Along with the language classes, convenings, social media campaigns and other outreach activities, we spread the message of unity and connection.
The general objective of the program was to foster collaboration, learning and investment between Kenya and Diasporic Africans. Often attempts to build bridges can appear as impositions of one’s culture over another. The program aims to design a relationship where each culture is not only respected but each group acts as teacher, investor and partner building long lasting relationships and accountability.