VANK announced on July 21, 2026, that it has launched a global campaign to raise awareness of the value and significance of Kiswahili, one of Africa’s leading indigenous languages.
Kiswahili is spoken by approximately 200 million people across more than 10 countries in East and Southeast Africa, including Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda.
As part of the campaign, VANK has produced a poster, a short-form video, and a series of card news posts introducing the cultural values and spirit of community reflected in the language. The content highlights common Kiswahili expressions such as “Jambo” (Hello), “Upendo” (Love), “Karibu” (Welcome), “Amani” (Peace), and “Umoja” (Unity).
The campaign was designed to encourage people to move beyond stereotypes and discover the real Africa through its languages, cultures, and communities.
Kwon Soongyu, a researcher at VANK who created the campaign content, said, “Many people still think of Africa as if it were a single country or immediately associate it with poverty and conflict. But simply introducing a language like Kiswahili, which millions of people use in their daily lives, can help people see Africa as a much more familiar and relatable place.”
Park Gi-tae, head of VANK, said, “Language is more than a means of communication. It is a living asset that reflects a society’s history, culture, and values. We will continue working to break down prejudice and misunderstandings about Africa so that the diverse histories, cultures, and languages of the continent’s 1.4 billion people can be accurately introduced to the world.”
VANK said it will continue producing a wide range of digital content highlighting Africa’s history, cultures, and languages, including Kiswahili, and share it through social media and global platforms to promote a more balanced understanding of Africa both in Korea and abroad.