By: Gabriel West
I am in my second year of Swahili and my third year at Northwestern. I postponed taking a language course due to covid, but enrolling in Swahili at Northwestern was easy. There are very few places to learn African languages, so it was a chance I could not pass up. As a black student, it was a unique opportunity to expand my horizons and appreciate Africa and East Africa.
The instruction has focused on real-world applications of Swahili, and each quarter I gain new skills and an appreciation for East African culture. Skills like shopping at the market and telling time give me insight into how the culture is different and how it integrates with the language. I enjoy the weekly language tables, where we eat samosas and drink chai after practicing our language skills. Personally, the multicultural show last spring was my favorite activity. We got to watch dances, listen to poetry, and hear music from cultures around the world. We also got to dance to Swahili music for the crowd. I hope to travel to Arusha to attend the international Swahili student conference this upcoming year.
Beyond that, I plan to travel to East Africa, hopefully, multiple times throughout my life, to experience the cultural richness and natural beauty the countries of the East African Community have to offer. The language’s status as an ever-growing regional lingua franca will provide endless opportunities.
Gabriel West is a junior at Northwestern.