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Tanzania: Can Language Unite a Nation?

In Tanzania, people say Swahili has brought them together. But has it been the language or the breaking of tribal structures that has unified the nation?

We travel to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania - a country that many believe can teach a lesson to others seeking unity and stability, because right from the start the first post-independence leader Julius Nyerere insisted that everyone should learn Swahili. Well over a 100 other languages are still spoken in Tanzania but many people believe that Nyerere – partly because of his language policy - was a successful nation builder. Join Owen Bennett Jones and his guests as they discuss language and politics in Tanzania.

(Photo: School children sitting in a classroom. Credit: Getty Images)

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50 minutes

Last on

Sat 26 Mar 201611:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Fri 25 Mar 201609:06GMT
  • Fri 25 Mar 201613:06GMT
  • Fri 25 Mar 201623:06GMT
  • Sat 26 Mar 201604:06GMT
  • Sat 26 Mar 201611:06GMT

The Real Story Podcast

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