Languages are an important key to building and maintaining partnerships and treating the other person respectfully and “on an equal footing”. African languages in particular are not learned much in Germany, as it is still the former “colonial languages” – especially English, Spanish, French – that dominate. Since language not only enables communicative understanding, but also conveys a lot about basic cultural assumptions and living environments, learning it is a step towards greater partnership. In order to intensify the cooperation between the Tanzanian and German Sisters of Mercy of St. Vincent de Paul in Untermarchtal e.V., we are conducting a 3-day compact Kiswahili language course in Untermarchtal.
