SWAHILI is a language spoken by as many as 100 million people in at least 12 countries across central and eastern Africa.a It is the national or official language in several countries, such as Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Swahili has played a very important role in unifying the people of East Africa. For example, in Tanzania alone there are at least 114 different tribal languages spoken. Imagine traveling just 25 to 50 miles (40-80 km) from your home and meeting people who speak a language completely different from yours! And in some cases all the people who speak a certain language live in only a few small villages.