DAR ES SALAAM, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania on Sunday marked the 3rd World Kiswahili Language Day as the Minister for Culture, Arts and Sports Damas Ndumbaro called for the use of the language in other crucial areas, including artificial intelligence (AI).
"Tanzania and the globe at large should get prepared to innovate AI and social media that specifically use Kiswahili as the language was spreading very fast," said Ndumbaro when he officiated celebrations marking the 3rd World Kiswahili Day in the port city of Dar es Salaam.
He said the government was planning to dispatch television and radio broadcasters in Kiswahili worldwide to promote the use of the language.
Ndumbaro also directed the state-run Tanzania National Kiswahili Council and the Zanzibar Kiswahili Council to translate all critical English publications, including books and poems, into Kiswahili so people could read and understand them.
The General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at its 41st session held in Paris, France, in 2021 proclaimed July 7 of each year as World Kiswahili Language Day, making it the first African language to be recognized in such a manner by the UN.
According to UNESCO, the 3rd World Kiswahili Language Day was celebrated this year on July 5, 2024, at UNESCO headquarters in Paris under the theme "Kiswahili: Education and Culture of Peace."
Kiswahili is among the 10 most widely spoken languages in the world, with more than 230 million speakers. ■
