World Literacy Day 2023: The Essential Role of Language in Building Community

It’s World Literacy Day, and this year’s theme focuses on promoting multilingual education: “Literacy for Mutual Understanding and Peace.” It makes me wonder—how many languages can you speak?

I was thinking about the story of the Tower of Babel and what humanity could achieve if we all spoke one language. While we aren’t there yet, we’ve already accomplished some amazing feats. For instance, the development of the COVID-19 vaccines involved international collaboration among scientists from various countries, showcasing the power of shared language. In literature, translations of works like Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude have allowed readers worldwide to appreciate diverse storytelling. Multilingual negotiations have led to significant peace treaties, such as the Camp David Accords, fostering stability in the Middle East. Global movements like Black Lives Matter have united people across borders for social justice, while initiatives like the Paris Agreement on climate change bring nations together to combat environmental issues. These examples highlight how our ability to communicate across cultures sparks creativity and collaboration in our connected world—we can achieve so much!

I came across another mind-blowing fact: it’s scientifically proven that the more languages you know, the higher your Social Intelligence Quotient (SIQ) tends to be. Research shows that speaking multiple languages can enhance your social intelligence, which involves understanding and navigating social situations, empathizing with others, and building meaningful relationships. Multilingual individuals gain several benefits that contribute to this heightened social awareness, allowing them to connect with people from diverse backgrounds and enrich their social circles.

I wonder how things will change for the East African Community (EAC) when Swahili is fully incorporated and used as a common language among the member states. The EAC has been actively working towards adopting Kiswahili as a common language, recognizing its potential to foster regional unity and cooperation. They’ve taken significant steps, like passing a resolution in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) to amend the EAC Treaty and formally include Kiswahili as an official language alongside English.

Partner states are being urged to create National Kiswahili Language Policies and establish National Kiswahili Councils to promote the language’s development and integration into national education systems. Recent conferences have emphasized the importance of Kiswahili, with leaders calling for laws and policies to be published in the language to encourage its use across the region. However, implementing Kiswahili as a common language faces challenges, mainly due to varying degrees of adoption among member states. While Kenya and Tanzania have embraced Kiswahili as both an official and national language, countries like Uganda and South Sudan are at different stages of implementation—they’re still catching up. Although there’s talk of including French as well, the spotlight is on Kiswahili for now.

In summary, multilingualism not only expands your communication abilities but also enriches your social intelligence, leading to deeper and more meaningful relationships. So, if you’ve ever considered picking up a new language, now might be the perfect time—it could be a game changer for your social life!