Swahili or Kiswahili

​This month we highlight the Great Invocation in Swahili or Kiswahili

Swahili, also known as Kiswahili, is a Bantu language and the first language of the Swahili people.  It is the lingua franca of the African Great Lakes region and other parts of Southeast Africa, including Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  The closely related Comorian language, spoken in the Comoros Islands, is considered a dialect.

Speaking women

​Estimates of Swahili speakers vary widely, from 60 million to over 150 million.  It is the national language of four nations: Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is one of the official languages of the African Union and the East African Community.

A significant fraction of Swahili vocabulary is derived from Arabic through contact with Arabic speaking Muslim inhabitants of the Swahili coast.  It has also incorporated German, Portuguese, English, Hindustani and French words into its vocabulary through contact with empire builders, traders, and slavers during the past five centuries.

The Great Invocation in Swahili
DUA KUU

Kutoka kwenya kiini cha Nuru katika akili ya Mungu
Nuru naisambae katika akili za wanadamu
Nuru hiyo iteremke Duniani.

Kutoka kwenye kiini cha Huba katika moyo wa Mola
Huba iwachwe itapakae katika mioyo ya wanadamu
Na Yesu masihi arudi Duniani.

Kutaka katikati ambapo Matakwa ya Mola yajulikana
Haja iwachwe kuongoza nia hafifu za wanadamu
Nia ambayo ni bwana pekee anayeijua na kuitumikia.

Kutoka katikati tunapo liitia kabila la wanadamu
Mpango wa Huba na Nuru ufanye kazi
Na ufunge mlango ambao ni chimbuko la maovu.

Nuru na Huba na Uwezo udhibiti Mpango wa Mola huo Duniani.
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