As the globe celebrated World Kiswahili Language Day on July 7, AfroVerdict host Viktor Anokhin sits down for an interview with Mayya Nikolskaya, a lecturer and Kiswahili instructor at MGIMO (Moscow State Institute for International Relations).
Kiswahili is now understood as part of the Bantu identity, that so many people subscribe to, according to Nikolskaya.
"Bantu is what makes so many Africans what they are - African... Kiswahili is a language that makes you very open, I would say. Very practical-oriented in practical terms, but also very joyous. And there is a lot of wisdom in that language that is similar to Russian," Ms Nikolskaya elaborates.
Swahili has been taught in a number of Russian universities, but as of September 1, 2023, three schools will add Kiswahili to their curriculum.
"We have a new generation now, a new generation of students who are very keen on learning the culture and the language of African peoples, and they do so without prejudice," Mayya states.
For more details, check out the entire episode of the AfroVerdict podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.
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