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<h2>New book calls for State to give more priority to growing Kiswahili</h2>
<p class="gmail-summary"></p><h6>Saturday July 21 2018</h6><p class="gmail-noprint"></p><div class="gmail-social-networks">
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<img class="gmail-photo_article" src="https://www.nation.co.ke/image/view/-/4674266/highRes/2052652/-/maxw/600/-/eiu1cl/-/Ki1.jpg" alt="The book 'Lugha na Fasihi Katika Karne ya 21'.">
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The book 'Lugha na Fasihi Katika Karne ya 21'. </p>
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<h4>In Summary</h4>
<div><ul><li><span>Against all odds, Kiswahili has continued to rival established languages such as English and French.</span></li><li><span>It is touted to edge out other notable languages in Africa that equally have many speakers.</span></li></ul></div></section>
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<div><p><strong><span>Book title: </span></strong><span>Lugha na Fasihi Katika Karne ya 21</span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span>Editors:</span></strong><span>Mosol Kandagor, Nathan Ogechi & Clarissa Vierke</span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span>Publisher: </span></strong><span>Moi University Press (2017)</span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span>Reviewer:</span></strong><span>Enock Matundura</span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span>Kiswahili
is no doubt the East and Central African region’s foremost language of
wider communication. It is estimated that it has about 120 million
speakers across the globe - majority of who come from East Africa and
the Great Lakes region. </span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span>Against
all odds, Kiswahili has continued to rival established languages such
as English and French - and is touted to edge out other notable
languages in Africa that equally have many speakers such as Hausa, Igbo,
Bambara and Wolof in West Africa, Arabic in North Africa, among others,
to become the lingua franca of the continent.</span></p></div><div id="gmail-relatedCoverage" class="gmail-article-related-coverage">
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<div><p class="MsoNormal"><span>Kiswahili language and
its literature, therefore, has over time attracted the attention of
scholars from within and without the continent. The book under review is
an attempt by scholars of the language from local and international
universities to share their thoughts on the strides that have been made
by Kiswahili in the 21st century. </span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span>The
418-page book is divided into five major sections and 41 chapters. The
sections are: Lugha, Isimu na Maendeleo ya Kiswahili (Language,
linguistics and development of Kiswahili), Fasihi na Masuala Ibuka
(literature and emerging issues), Tafsiri, Ukalimani na Mawasiliano
(Translation, Interpretation and Communication, Matumizi ya Lugha,
Vyombo vya Habari na Diskosi (Language use, the Media and Discourse) and
Sera ya Lugha na Ufundishaji wa Kiswahili (Language Policy and the
Teaching of Kiswahili).</span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span>The
contributors of chapters in this book, published in honour of Prof
Naomi Luchera Shitemi formerly of Moi University, who died on September
28, 2013, include Profs Odeo Isaac Ipara (Kibabii University), Inyani
Simala (The Est African Kiswahili Commission), Sangai Mohochi (Rongo),
Wendo Nabea (Egerton), Noordin Mwanakombo (Moi), John Habwe, Rayya
Timammy (Nairobi), and Miriam Mwita (Baraton). Others are Prof Mwenda
Mukuthuria (Maasai Mara), Drs Obuchi Moseti (Moi), Omari Ontieri (Maasai
Mara), Pendo Malangwa, Amani Lusekelo (Dar es Salaam), and Chacha Mwita
Leonard (Kenyatta), among others.</span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span>The
preface of this book is written by Prof Mohammed Hassan Abdulaziz of
the University of Nairobi – regarded as the doyen of Kiswahili
scholarship in East Africa. Prof Abdulaziz founded the departments of
Kiswahili and Other African Languages in the 1970s at the universities
of Dar es Salaam and Nairobi. Most of the contributors in this book are
therefore either his former students or products of his students.</span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span>Prof
Abdulaziz says this of Prof Shitemi (a former student at the University
of Nairobi in the 1980s): “It is coincidental that many articles in
this book, to a great extent, focus on the areas (of study) in which
Prof Shitemi was a great enthusiast. Therefore, the publication of this
book adds to the contribution towards those areas proving that there is a
lot of research being done in Kiswahili linguistics and its
literature.”</span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span>The
most recurring motif in most of the chapters, however, is the
lamentation by the writers that although Kiswahili is an official
language of Kenya together with English – as captured in Article 7 of
the Kenyan Constitution, the efforts of operationalising this has rather
been slow. Despite much work done towards developing the Languages of
Kenya Policy and Bill, not much progress has been achieved.</span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span>The
Languages of Kenya Policy and Bill were initially drafted at the
ministry of Sports, Culture and Arts. Later, they were transferred to
the ministry of Communication and Technology. The legislative process
has stalled since 2013. Unless Kenya sets up a National Kiswahili
Council, the country may not achieve much in matters Kiswahili
development.</span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><strong><em><span>Enock
Matundura, translator of Barbara Kimenye’s Moses series (Oxford
University Press), teaches Swahili literature at Chuka University</span></em></strong></p></div></section></article>
<br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div>
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