Over three million people in Tanzania were reached by a press campaign on Dante Alighieri, the Father of the Italian Language, organized by the Italian Embassy at Dar es Salaam. The initiative appeared mainly in the local newspapers, in collaboration with the Swiss Embassy in Tanzania, as part of the events celebrating the Week of the Italian Language in the World. Using a QR code, it was possible to make versions of the “Divine Comedy” available to a large number of readers, in both English and Kiswaili.
Also in connection with the celebrations for the Great Poet, the Ambassador Marco Lombardi hosted the General States of the Italian Language, a meeting held in hybrid mode that brought together all the players interested in the teaching of Italian in the African country. Among the participants were the Vice Secretary General of the Dante Alighieri Society, Andrea Vincenzoni, and Neema Nyerere, niece of the Father of the Country, Julius Nyerere.
During this meeting a number of decisions were reached. One of these concerned the assistance of local tourist operators (particularly safari guides based in Arusha, and tour guides to Zanzibar and on the coast of Dar es Salaam) who, thanks to the important tourist flows from Italy, are very interested for obvious economic reasons in learning Italian. It was also decided to create a special group at the international schools of Arusha, Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar, so that the children of Italian citizens resident in Tanzania can be more closely followed in their study of the Italian language. There are plans to examine the opportunity of a collaboration with Radio Maria to spread the Italian language among the public in general. In Tanzania, the radio is the most widespread means of communication, and Radio Maria is the station most listened to, even in the remotest zones of the country.
Also with a view to reaching the largest number of people possible, work is ongoing to develop a format for teaching the Italian language through a form of entertainment. Finally, the participants in the meeting agreed to establish a “Dante Alighieri” Association in Tanzania.
