Standard Swahili language

Standard Swahili language arose during the colonial era as the homogenised version of the dominant dialects of the Swahili language.

Standard Swahili enabled communication in a wide array of situations: it facilitated political cooperation between anti-apartheid fighters from South Africa and their Tanzanian military instructors and continues to give members of the African American community a sense of connection to their homeland.

The first stage of Swahili standardisation was carried out by the Universities' Mission to Central Africa, which was later continued by the specialised organisations such as The Inter-Territorial Language Committee and the East African Literature Bureau.