Colombia to Introduce Swahili in Schools

Swahili will now be taught in Colombian schools as a foreign language option, Colombia’s Vice

President, Francia Marquez, has announced. The vice president announced this upon her return from an official visit to Kenya, Ethiopia and South Africa in May.

Francia Marquez is the first woman of African descent to become vice president of Colombia. Colombia has the second largest black population in Latin America after Brazil with over 10% (5.2 million) of its population being black. The vice president is looking to reconnect with her roots and build historical memory for the Afro-Colombians. While on her visit to Kenya, Marquez highlighted that Kenya is open to teaching Swahili to Colombian individuals, while Colombia is ready to teach Spanish to Kenyans. She said that Swahili will be offered to Colombians of African origin and to anyone who would like to learn the language.

The choice of Swahili as the language to be taught though has sparked some criticism, especially from the opposition. Critics questioned why English was not chosen, suggesting it would be a better investment. Others challenged that most of the slaves who were brought into Colombia came from Western Africa where Swahili is not even spoken.

Pascal , a researcher and author on Latin America, defended the decision, stating that Marquez chose Swahili because it is the third most spoken language in Africa, after English and Arabic. Estimates put speakers of Swahili as a second language at between 80 to 150 million. It is used widely in Tanzania and Kenya and it is growing in parts of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Zambia and Mozambique which share a border with Tanzania. It is used much less in Uganda although it is recognised as an official language. The accord signed will enable Colombian teachers to travel to Africa to teach Spanish, while teachers from African countries, notably Kenya, will have the opportunity to teach Swahili in state schools in Colombia.

In an interview with South African Broadcasting Corporation, Marquez stated that her visit to Africa was in a very historic context and was aimed to create South-South cooperation and to strengthen diplomatic, political, economic and cultural relations. She made emphasis on how fundamental cultural exchange is between Colombia and the African continent.

But is the introduction of the Swahili language in Colombia worth the cost? Apart from sentimental reasons, it should be noted that there will be huge costs incurred in the importation of teachers from Kenya and their accommodation and salaries. The introduction of Swahili in Colombia, though, could just be a boost in the relationship and collaboration that already exists between Kenya and Colombia. According to Kenya Digital News, the two governments are currently collaborating in various sectors including agriculture, environment conservation, science and technology, culture and education. Colombia supported Kenya’s candidature at the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member between 2021-2022, and Colombia is now seeking Kenya’s support for its candidature in the United Nations Human Rights Council from 2025-2027.