Study Abroad Swahili
Welcome to Tanzania
The Islands of Zanzibar were some of the last places to export enslaved Africans from their land. As a result, the documented history of slavery including homes of slave traders and relics of the slave trade are still evident in the streets, as well as in museums. The closeness of enslavement is not lost on local Tanzanians. Upon becoming independent, the Father of the Nation, President Julius Nyerere, made grand strides in unifying a country with over 130 tribes under one African language and a sense of identity. Now, over 100 million people of African and Arab descent speak Swahili as a first or second language. Even African Americans are familiar with some Swahili words, like Kwanza, which means first, and Jenga, which means to build.
Kiswahili (Swahili language) has become synonymous with Pan-Africanism and the Pan-African movement. This is in part because of the origin of the Swahili language, which is a mix of Bantu, Arabic, English and Portuguese. The Swahili language was constructed as a medium for trade in East Africa and spread throughout Africa as it built on similarities in different regions. Dialects of the Bantu language are spoken as far west as Cameroon and as far South as the Zulu Nation in South Africa.
volunteer
There are many ongoing projects and opportunities for people to contribute to for the development and growth of Tanzanian communities.
Study
We offer a variety of courses including African studies, Modern Standard Arabic, Kiswahili, and French
exchange
Spend time with members of the community and meet like minded individuals from Tanzania during our downtown tours and outings
Our study abroad experience in Tanzania focuses on language proficiency and exchanges with people who make the Swahili culture what it is. We'll spend time with the children and families of Fat-hi International Community School in downtown Zanzibar and integrate in the community by building relationships with Zanzibari people.
Although the immersion experience might take a toll, we also intend to make it comfortable and fun with tours all over the island and to mainland Tanzania as well. You'll visit beautiful beaches and private sandbars, cities that rival America's greatest, and Safari plains as wide as the eye can see. We also plan to welcome you home to Africa with a Rites of Passage ceremony acknowledging the centuries of separation and generations of distance between the African Diaspora and Africans born on the continent. Finally, your experience will include opportunities to invest in Africa and build wealth for future generations of African descendants. We will break the curse of generational poverty by spending the black dollar where it will have the most impact.
Karibuni (Welcome)
