Tanzania: Looking to Broadcast AFCON 2023 in Swahili

On Monday, Tanzanian authorities said that they submitted an application to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to broadcast in Swahili the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023.

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Swahili, also known by its local name Kiswahili, is a Bantu language spoken by the Swahili people.

"With more than 200 million people that speak Kiswahili across the globe, the AFCON 2023 will be an ideal platform for promoting the language," said Tanzanian Minister of Culture, Arts and Sports Damas Ndumbaro on a visit to the National Kiswahili Council in the port city of Dar es Salaam.

According to Ndumbaro, the use of Swahili in broadcasting the AFCON 2023 will be used as preparations for broadcasting in Swahili the AFCON 2027 to be co-hosted by the East African countries of Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.

Furthermore, he also said that if the CAF gives Tanzania the green light to broadcast the AFCON 2023 in Swahili, the East African nation will dispatch a team from the state-run Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation to Côte d'Ivoire.

The AFCON 2023 which brings together 24 teams will take place in Côte d'Ivoire between Jan. 13 to Feb. 11, 2024. The event, the main international men's association football competition in Africa, was meant to take place in 2023 but was delayed to the next year.

According to official reports, the Ministry of Finance said in a statement released on Sunday that Tanzania has requested the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund to introduce Swahili as a working language.

The 41st session of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 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.