Swahili

Swahili is the most widespread language in sub-Saharan Africa and is spoken by over 100 million people in East Africa. It is particularly prevalent in countries such as Tanzania and Kenya, as well as in parts of Burundi, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, Uganda Yemen, and Zambia. Swahili is also one of eight national minority languages in Oman, as well as an official language in organisations such as the African Union (AU) and the East African Community (EAC). For a number of years, Swahili has also been a school subject in South Africa and Namibia.

The language is currently undergoing a dynamic development and is growing rapidly. Like other Bantu languages, the grammar is very regular and highly inflectional. Throughout history, the language has absorbed many loanwords from Arabic and English, but also Gujarati, Hindi, German, Portuguese, Persian and other languages. Written Swahili literature dates back at least four hundred years and is very rich and vibrant. Many new novels, short stories, poems and plays are published every year and the language is very important for popular culture.

The studies focus mainly on the modern standard language, including its grammar, vocabulary and phonology. There are also courses in literature, culture and East African history.

In today's increasingly globalised world, knowledge of African societies and skills in African languages such as Swahili are increasingly relevant. Knowledge of Swahili opens doors both locally in East Africa and internationally and ties in with the strong Nordic engagement in East Africa that has existed for many decades.