Swahili Pride at the Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa

On 29^th May 2015, the Aga Khan Academy held a school-wide Swahili Day celebration under the theme Kiswahili: Ngao Yetu (Kiswahili: Our Shield). The day had dawned gloomy with dark clouds blanketing the school, but the campus shone with the bright kikoys and khangas decorating every surface and the students and staff dressed up in traditional Swahili garb.

The day started off with a special Junior School Assembly that featured a wide range of performances from each year group. They covered everything from Swahili songs and dances to fashion shows and skits. Swahili is especially important in the Junior School in context of the Dual Language Programme that is run there. Not only are the students involved in improving their day-to-day proficiency in Swahili as a language, but events like this contribute to a wider appreciation of Swahili culture as a whole. In the long run, this will play a part in students understanding their environments better and becoming considerate homegrown leaders.

The Senior School was not left out of the fun either. The students held activities such as Swahili story-telling and henna application throughout the day, and the food provided at break and lunch time featured a delectable assortment of Swahili treats. In fact, our special guests from the Academy in Hyderabad joined in as well, donning khangas, kikoys, and other traditional Swahili clothing for the occasion.

The day culminated in a Senior School assembly that featured guest speakers from Tanzania who had learned Kiswahili as a second language, and demonstrated the diversity of speakers of the language across East Africa, and how it bands together people from many different unique cultures. The Senior School, similar to their Junior School counterparts, also prepared highly entertaining performances showcasing different aspects of Swahili culture, which included an exquisite performance of ‘Mtoto wa Afrika’ by our choir, Voices for Change.

We look forward to even more unique cultural celebrations at the Academy, and we hope to continue appreciating the incredible diversity and richness of the AKA, Mombasa community!