By Kim Poole
ACALAN Diaspora Representative, African Languages Week
Can a song become an act of reparations?
That question came alive on May 27, 2026, when a group of Cuban youth welcomed an African diaspora delegation to Casa de África in Havana by singing in Kiswahili.
“Jambo, Jambo Bwana, Habari gani? Mzuri sana…”
The scene was remarkable. Thousands of miles from East Africa, young Cubans were singing in one of Africa’s most widely spoken languages. In just a few moments, they demonstrated the enduring connection between Africa and its global diaspora.
The delegation was visiting Cuba as part of a fact-finding mission led by Dr. Ron Daniels and the Institute of the Black World 21st Century. Although the visit to Casa de África lasted less than an hour, it delivered one of the most powerful lessons of the journey.
After the performance, conversations began. The Cuban youth spoke Spanish. Most delegates spoke English. Yet everyone searched for words they shared.
“Asante sana.”
“Mambo poa.”
Laughter followed as participants exchanged Kiswahili phrases. Few claimed fluency, but that was not the point. Kiswahili became a bridge connecting people separated by oceans, history and language, yet united by a common African heritage.
The moment reflected the vision of Julius Nyerere, the former President of Tanzania who championed Kiswahili as a language of unity, dignity and self-determination. He believed African languages carried knowledge, values and worldviews that deserved to thrive alongside any global language.
Today, that vision is more relevant than ever.
As the African Union advances both the Decade of African Languages and the Decade of Reparations, language must become part of the reparations conversation.
The transatlantic slave trade did not only steal lives and labour. It also disrupted languages, cultures and systems of knowledge. Millions of Africans were separated from the linguistic communities that shaped their identities.
Restoring African languages is therefore more than cultural preservation. It is reparatory justice. It reconnects people to memory, identity and intellectual traditions that survived despite slavery, colonialism and forced assimilation.
The young people of Havana offered a powerful reminder that languages survive when they are spoken, taught, sung and celebrated. Their Kiswahili performance showed that African languages remain one of the strongest tools for rebuilding cultural connections across the African world.
As Africa pursues Agenda 2063, reclaiming African languages must be recognised as an essential step toward cultural sovereignty, historical repair and a stronger Global African Voice.
