This document discusses blogging in Kiswahili. It provides definitions of blogs and notes that the first Kiswahili blogs emerged in 2004. It describes the author's experience starting his own blog to publish online without technology knowledge. The blog aims to demystify technology, civilize journalism, and be a place for cooperation versus competition. Blogging is encouraged as a way to learn and share in one's native language and make information accessible to more people.

1. Highway Africa Conference 10-12 September 2007,
Rhodes University, South Africa
Ansbert Ngurumo, FREE MEDIA, Tanzania

2.  What is a blog?
 An easily created
website
 An online journal
 An online diary
 A personal diary
 A news page
 A web page
 A weblog
 A simple website

3. a website where
entries are written
in chronological
order and displayed
in reverse
chronological order
- Wikipedia
 A website easily
created and
updated by those
with even a
minimum of
technology know-
how - Will Richardson, the
Supervisor of Instructional Technology
at Hunterdon Central Regional High
School

4.  Content storage
 Commentary or
news site
 Linking up with
people
 Online Platform for
interaction
 Avoiding soliloquy
 Making invisible
friends
 Debating freely and
uncensored
 Publishing the un-
publishable

5.  News on anything: food, sports, politics,
science...
 Personal reflection by blogger
 In text or pictures, or both

6.  By early 2007, reports said there were 71
million blogs worldwide
 The prominence of bloggers came into being
during the US 2004 elections - Chris Daly, professor of
journalism at Boston University
 First Kiswahili bloggers came into being in
2004

7.  Otherwise known as Swahili
 The People - Waswahili;
 The language - Kiswahili
 Etymology: Arabic Sahel = Coast
 Origin: Mixture of Arab and Bantu languages
 Absorbed vocabulary from Arabic, Portuguese,
German, Spanish, Latin, English and other
languages… a sign of growth

8.  The earliest known document recounting the
past situation on the East African coast written in
the 2nd century AD (in Greek language by
anonymous author at Alexandria in Egypt and it
is called the Periplus of Erythrean Sea) says that
merchants visiting the East African coast at that
time from Southern Arabia, used to speak with
the natives in their local language and they
intermarried with them. Those that suggest that
Swahili is an old language point to this early
source for the possible antiquity of the Swahili
language. - Ali, H.O, The Swahili Language & Cultrure
http://www.glcom.com/hassan/swahili_history.html

9.  Over 100 million
speakers
 Original speakers:
5-10 per cent.
 Most widely spoken
language in Sub
Saharan Africa
 The only African
language among
AU’s official
working languages,
declared in 2005.

10.  Earliest known document in Kiswahili is an
epic poem in the Arabic script titled Utendi
(Utenzi) wa Tambuka ("The History of
Tambuka"); it is dated 1728.

11.  Tanzania
 Kenya
 Uganda
 Burundi
 Rwanda
 Northern
Mozambique
 Eastern and
Northern DRC
 Southern Sudan
 Parts of Somalia
 Parts of Malawi
 Northern Zambia
 Comoro Island
 Northern parts of
Malagasy Republic
 The Persian Gulf
States

12.  National language in Tanzania, Kenya and
Uganda
 Expected to be official language of the EA
Federation
 Second language in Tanzania and Kenya; 3rd in
Uganda, where it is has long been regarded a
‘language of soldiers.’ Uganda has been teaching
Kiswahili in primary schools since 1992.
 Tanzania: home to most indigenous speakers of
Kiswahili

13.  Taught at certain major
universities in developed
countries
 Examples:
http://www.africa.uga.edu/Ki
swahili/doe
http://www.ohiou.edu/linguis
tics/swahili/resource.html
 Story:
http://www.eastandard.net
/archives/cl/hm_news/new
s.php?articleid=29486
 Broadcast on several radio
programmes including:
 BBC (Britain),
 Radio Deutsche Welle
(Germany),
 NHK (Japan),
 VOA (USA),
 Radio Cairo (Egypt),
 Radio China (China),
 Radio Moscow International
(Russia),
 Radio Sudan (Sudan),
 Channel Africa of SABC

14.  National language since independence, 1961
 Spoken fluently by 99.9 of the country’s 40
million population
 A major medium in most media outlets
 BAKITA: Baraza la Kiswahili la Taifa (National
Council for Kiswahili )
 TUKI :Taasisi ya Uchunguzi wa Kiswahili
(Institute for Kiswahili Research at the
University of Dar es Salaam)
 Language of instruction in primary schools

15.  The best way to address local content
 Educational programmes abound
 Examples: Wikipedia dictionary:
http://sw.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mwanzo
 The Yale University Dictionary Project
http://www.cis.yale.edu/swahili/index.html
 Open Directory Project:
http://dmoz.org/World/Kiswahili/

16.  No 1. Jikomboe
http://www.jikomboe
.blogspot.com
The first inspiration
for Kiswahili
bloggers
 poems,
photographs,
analyses, bloggers’
guide, links to
other 40 Kiswahili
blogs and
important websites;
advert forum for
journalists or
bloggers

17.  Passion to publish online without know-how
 Attended Highway Africa Conference’s
training on web designing
 Efforts ended up with me setting a shoddy
site at
Uchambuzi wa Habari
First article March 30, 2004

18.  July 2005
 http://www.ngurumo.blogspot.com
Utakapojua hujui,
ndipo utakapojua
Acknowledging our
ignorance is the foundation
of our knowledge

19.  Not a man of one blog
 Commenting on other blogs
 Uploading other people’s good articles
 Publicising people, events and ideas
 Calling for comment on some articles

20.  Raising issues to
involve readers
 Bloggers’
conferences
 Meetings with
invisible audiences
 Learning from
contributors
 A life-time hobby
 Influencing thinking
and decision
 A lot more...

21.  Pros:
 Demystifies technology
 ‘Civilises’ journalism
 Friends making venue
 Place for tips on big stories
 Breaking news before they
are published broadcast
 Leap over censorship
 2-way traffic interaction
 Cooperation vs competition
 Localises ICTs

22.  Cons.
 Most readers
remain anonymous
 Most blogs a one-
man show:
reporter, editor,
publisher
 Misuse of freedom
for irresponsible
writers
 Dark side of
anonymity
Advantages outweigh
disadvantages

23.  One can only blog
better in a language
one knows best
 Technology has no
language; bloggers
do
 One does not need
to be an expert to
blog
 Blogs are
increasingly
becoming a refuge
to those with a
passion to write
and publish

24.  Currently, blogging
is more active in
urban areas and in
the diaspora
 Villagisation of
blogging should be
our next step to
make it accessible
to those who need
it most
 No political will
needed; all we need
is civic will
 Apart from doing it
for hobby, let’s use
it for money too

25.  Much as some of us
are fluent in English,
French, Portuguese
and other foreign
languages, let’s strive
to also learn Kiswahili.
It is no longer the
language of
Tanzanians but of
Africans
 Civilising journalism is
our role, and we
cannot do it well
without blogging. Let’s
do it. That is where we
should store the left
out, sifted and
censored material of
our stories.
Blogging is a strange
school where
everybody is both a
teacher and a student.

26.  Start today; start here:
 www.ngurumo.blogspot.com
Asanteni sana.