How Kiswahili songs gave voice to the independence movement — and romance
<file:///private/var/containers/Bundle/Application/15CCE771-E851-451A-91E0-D0001AC352AC/Gmail.app/#m_-8328742271387899128_>UNESCO / Dominique Roger *Millions of speakers from across East, Central, and southern Africa, the Middle East, and the diaspora marked World Kiswahili Language Day* on Friday (July 7) following a 2021 declaration by UNESCO. Kiswahili connects over 200 million people who speak the Bantu language across borders and advancing their political and economic interests. In the 1960s, when most East African countries were at the apotheosis of their struggle for independence or newly independent, Kiswahili songs played a significant role in marshaling the people and spreading optimism to people in the new postcolonial states. In Kenya, Daudi Kabaka — whose song’s title “Harambee Harambee <https://youtu.be/7pwCoeWTdxc>,” was arguably borrowed from the slogan popularized by the first president Jomo Kenyatta — served as a clarion call for all Kenyans to build the nation. His other song, <https://youtu.be/wv8_YLSABwY>“African Twist,” was a sensation with young Kenyans in the newly independent country but it transcended borders. And in the same Equator Sound studio where Kabaka recorded his songs in Nairobi, his contemporary Fadhili William was the first to record what would become arguably the most popular Kiswahili love song <https://youtu.be/UIikuV1LeTg> of all time: “Malaika,” which means “angel”. It was soon the most instantly recognizable African song especially after it was made globally famous by the late South African singer Miriam Makeba <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1UID0vEeqI>(pictured). Over the decades, Kiswahili songs have become a unifying factor across the region, with YouTube viewing becoming the new yardstick. For example, contemporary Tanzanian artist Diamond Platinumz became the first sub-Saharan African singer to clock two billion views on a YouTube channel last year. Singing mainly in Kiswahili, some of his songs, “Yatapita <https://youtu.be/U6JBZNAkp24>” and “Mtasubiri <https://youtu.be/IokCG2J-_5Q>,” became instant hits in East Africa and beyond, garnering millions of views. His song “Salome <https://youtu.be/_bPjsDcPHks>”, which was released six years ago and featured <https://nation.africa/kenya/news/language-of-love-popular-songs-in-swahili-through-the-decades-4295640>another East African star, Rayvanny, added to his many feathers in his musical hat after a resounding success across the East African music market and beyond. *— Muchira Gachenge <https://www.semafor.com/author/muchira-gachenge> in Nairobi*