Swahili Language

Swahili Language

While you may know “hakuna matata” means “no worries,” did you know the famous phrase from The Lion King is Swahili?

Learn Swahili, currently spoken by over 100 million people around the world. It is an official language in Tanzania and Kenya and is also spoken by many in other African countries.

By the end of the course, you will be able to speak, write, listen to and read the language. You will also experience Swahili culture, music, food, proverbs and idiomatic expressions, greetings and much more.

You will benefit from studying with Professor Mwalimu Oswald Almasi, a passionate teacher who co-wrote a Swahili Grammar for introductory and intermediate Swahili, which is also used in the course.

In these interactive classes, you will connect with the Toronto Swahili community, as well as international guests.

In previous years, a couple visiting from Tanzania discussed the country’s rich wildlife heritage and the world-famous Serengeti National Park. Students have also participated in a Khanga Writings Workshop conducted by Kulthum Noor from the Toronto Swahili community.

These interactions also help inform coursework, such as presentations about Swahili cuisine, women and men’s clothing, taarab music, girls’ and boys’ rites of passage and Swahili poetry.