A Language for all? KiSwahili as a Tool for Unity: Problematizing the East African Community’s Language Policy

Abstract: In modern state-development it is common practice to use one language for unifying people in a nation or region. However, in the wake of decolonisation, many African states found themselves struggling with the decision to pick a national language. African languages are rarely dominating whole nations, making it hard to choose one language as a tool for unity. The kiSwahili language is therefore a rare case. It is a well-known lingua franca in the East African region that the vast majority of people in Tanzania and Kenya comprehend. It was chosen as a national language in both countries in their postcolonial era, to different degrees of success unifying each nation. Today, five states have come together to create the East African Community (EAC), including Tanzania and Kenya. The objective of the EAC is to provide economic, political and social unity in the region. The EAC argues that the kiSwahili language plays an important role in order to achieve unity in the region. KiSwahili has therefore developed from being promoted as a national language into a regional language. This thesis aims to analyze and problematize the EAC language policy and discuss to what extent it is possible to establish the sought-after regional unity. Its findings conclude that even though one language could be used as a tool for unity, it is highly contextual and many factors need to be taken into consideration when planning for regional unity.