Introduction - Discover Milton Keynes · We feature here the top 10 African languages to know when...

Bringing MK communities together for social and cultural integration

www.globaloutreachmk.com

The Global Outreach Foundation MK(GOF MK) was established by Mike Kasibo in 2015with the aim of supporting the social and culturalintegration of all Milton Keynes community members.

This exhibition looks at six aspects of the GlobalOutreach Foundation MK:

1. African Diaspora Day. This event waslaunched in August 2017, with the aim of unitingAfrican communities in Milton Keynes and alsooffering them a platform to showcase their cultureto a wider Milton Keynes audience. Its aim is alsoto support and inspire young people by educatingthem about their own identity and heritage.

2. African Forum is aimed at bridging the gapbetween the Police and the African community.The Forum gives the African community a platformto positively engage with the Police.

3. Breakfast Club runs every first Tuesday of themonth from Great Linford Parish Council. Its aimsare to provide a platform for people to voice issuesthat affect them, promote one-to-oneconversations and offer support to buildcommunity cohesion.

4. GOF MK Football is aimed at getting youngpeople off the streets and bringing them togetherfor social and cultural integration. It also helpsthem to learn anger management skills, team-work,listening, respect and time keeping.

5. Black History Month 2017 will focus on thecontribution of African People to the BritishSociety. Locally the focus will be on African peoplewithin Milton Keynes and the surrounding areas.

6. The Languages of Africa. Not only is Africathe second most populated continent in the worldwith over one billion people, it is also home to thehighest linguistic diversity in the world, with over1500 different languages.

Introduction



African Diaspora DayThe African Diaspora Day event was launchedin August 2017 with the aim of uniting Africancommunities in Milton Keynes and also offeringthem a platform to showcase their culture to awider audience. Its aim is also to support andinspire young people by educating them about theirown identity and heritage.



African Diaspora Day


The vast scale of the African continent is bestappreciated when viewed from space


African Diaspora Day


African ForumBorn out of the African Diaspora Day, the African Forum is aimed at bridging the gap between thePolice and the African community. The Forum gives the African community a platform to positivelyengage with the Police.


Breakfast Club


The Breakfast Club runs every first Tuesdayof the month from Great Linford Parish Councilin St Leger Court (from 9 am to 12 pm). Its aimsare to provide a platform for people to voiceissues that affect them, promote one-to-oneconversations and offer support to buildcommunity cohesion.

Socialise• Share skills, experiences, culture and

knowledge;• Discuss issues affecting our communities;• Be signposted to advice organisations.

Regular guest speakers• Access support networks;• An opportunity to take action on issues

affecting us.


Breakfast Club



GOF MK FootballGOF MK Football is aimed at getting youngpeople off the streets and bringing them togetherfor social and cultural integration. It also helpsthem to learn anger management skills, team-work, listening, respect and time keeping.Participating in the club also helps to keep theyoung people safe and teaches them about anti-social behavior.



Black History MonthThis exhibition is in celebration of Black History Month. Originating in theUnited States, Black History Month is now an important part of the UK’scultural calendar.

Black History Month is designed to recognise history, experiences andaccomplishments of black people. In 1976, the President of the United Statesofficially designated February as Black History Month. The annual celebration ofachievements by black people is also held in Canada and here in the UnitedKingdom in October.

In schools across the US, students learn about what figures such as MartinLuther King Jr, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, and many others achieved. In the UK,Black History Month – now in its 30th year – is held in October. The UKversion not only recognises the contributions of those from African andCaribbean heritage, but those from Asia too.

Locally our focus will be on African people within Milton Keynes and thesurrounding areas. A celebration will take place at Conniburrow CommunityCentre on 28th October 2017 organised by Global Outreach Foundation MKwhere African people from the Police, NHS, Education, Music and Politics will berecognised on the day and will give accounts of their journeys with the aim ofinspiring young people.

“Black History Month is essential inpromoting learning, providing informationand contributing to community cohesion.For the past 30 years it has shone, andcontinues to shine, a beacon of light on thefacts about black history, heritage, legacyand the on-going struggles for equality andjustice.”

Lord Ouseley


Lucky Dube, Musician


The Languages of AfricaAs we celebrate Black History Month, we arereminded that all of the world’s black peopleoriginated in Africa.

Here we look at the languages spoken in Africa. Theaim is to give people an insight into what ‘Africa’ ismade of, as most people believe that ‘Africa isAfrica’.

Not only is Africa the second most populatedcontinent in the world with over one billionpeople, it is also home to the highest linguisticdiversity in the world, with over 1500 differentlanguages.

The principle languages on the continent includeArabic, French and English. Arabic was ranked the5th most spoken language in the world by researchgroup Ethnologue, with over 240 million speakersworldwide. In Africa, there are more than 100million speakers, with Egypt accounting for morethan 54 million. It is also the most widespreadofficial language on the continent, incluing in Algeria,Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt.

English reached the 3rd spot as the most spokenlanguage in the world, with over 330 millionspeakers. It is known as the ‘lingua franca’ of theworld, widely used for international business, and isthe language of the scientific and medical fields,which use English as a basis for much of theterminology. In Africa, the majority of native Englishspeakers are from South Africa.

African languages form part of four languagegroups, namely Afro-Asiatic covering NorthernAfrica, Central Sahara and the Horn of Africa, Nilo-Saharian covering Central and Eastern Africa, Niger-Congo covering Central, Southern and EasternAfrica and Khoisan, covering the western part ofSouthern Africa.

We feature here the top 10 African languages toknow when doing business or enjoying touristdestinations on the continent.

1. SWAHILISwahili is the most commonly spokenlanguage in Africa, with over 100 millionspeakers. It is a Bantu language believed tohave originated from other languages, mainlyArabic, due to historical interactions betweenArabs from the Middle East and East Africans.Swahili is Tanzania’s official language, as well asthe medium of instruction in all schools. It isalso Kenya’s official language as well asUganda. Other Swahili speaking nationsinclude Rwanda, Burundi, Southern Somalia,Ethiopia, Sudan, Northern Mozambique andthe Comoros Islands. To greet in Swahili,one says, “Jambo”, or “Habari”when greeting an elder.

2. AMHARICAmharic is the official language of Ethiopia andis the second most commonly spokenlanguage after Oromo, with over 21 millionspeakers. It is the second most spoken Semiticlanguage in the world after Arabic, and is alsothe language of over 2 million Ethiopians livingoutside of the country. The Semitic languagesare a branch of the Afroasiatic language familyoriginating from the Middle East. Amharic,along with Arabic, Hebrew and Tigrinya, arethe most spoken Semitic languages in theworld by way of native speakers. It is writtenin the Ge’ez or Ethiopic script, with over 30different characters. To say hello inAmharic, one says, “Salam”.


Talking business…These are not always theofficial languages of thecountries, but are thelanguages prevelant in businesscommunication.


The Languages of Africa


3. YORUBAYoruba is one of West Africa’s most spokenlanguages, accounting for over 30 millionspeakers in Nigeria, Benin and Togo, and it isone of Nigeria’s official languages. It is alsowidely spoken by West African expats in theUS and UK. It is the mother tongue of theYoruba people in Nigeria, and has over fifteendialects including Awori, Ijesha, Ilaje and Ila. Itis a tonal language with three tones: high, midand low, and forms part of the Volta-Nigerbranch of the Niger-Congo family oflanguages. To say hello in Yoruba, onesays “Bawo”.

4 OROMOOromo is spoken by over 30 million people inthe Horn of Africa, particularly in Ethiopia,Kenya, Somalia and Egypt. The Oromo peopleaccount for more than 40% of the Ethiopianpopulation, and are the largest ethnic group inthe country. The writing of the language wasforbidden between 1974 and 1991 under theMengistu regime, even though limited usage ofthe Ge’ez script was allowed. After 1991, thelanguage adopted the Latin alphabet. It fallsunder the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiaticlanguage family. To say hello in Oromo,one says “Akkam”.

5. HAUSAHausa is one of Nigeria’s official languages, andone of the most spoken Chadic languages onthe continent, with over 40 million native andsecond language speakers. It originated as thelanguage of the Hausa people in northernNigeria and southern Niger, and soon spreadas the lingua franca of western Africa due totrade. It is spoken mainly in northern Nigeria,Niger, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, CAR,Chad, Congo, Eritrea, Germany, Ghana, Sudan,Togo and much of North Africa. It uses theBoko and Latin alphabet as its writing system,and is also the basic language for most Muslimpopulations in western Africa. To say helloin Hausa, one says “Sannu”.

6. IGBOOne of Nigeria’s official languages, Igbo isspoken by over 20 million people, with asignificant amount of speakers in Cameroonand Equatorial Guinea. The language has morethan 20 dialects, with Central Igbo being themost prevalent. The language was madeprominent by author Chinua Achebe, whowrote the popular book ‘Things Fall Apart’and wrote most of his books in Igbo,mirroring and popularizing Igbo culture. It fallsunder the Volta-Niger branch of the Niger-Congo family of languages. To say hello inIgbo, one says “Nnoo”.

7. ZULUIsiZulu, or Zulu, is one of South Africa’s officiallanguage, and has over 10 million speakers. It isa member of the Bantu/Nguni family oflanguages, and is spoken mainly in easternSouth Africa. It is the second most widelyspoken Bantu language, after Shona, and iswritten using the Latin alphabet. It ischaracterized by unique click sounds withinthe dialect as a result of influence from theKhoisan language. To say hello in Zulu,one says “Sawubona”.

8. SHONAShona is the most spoken language inZimbabwe, with over 10 million speakers in apopulation of over 14 million. It is Bantulanguage from the Bantu/Nguni family oflanguages, and has speakers in Botswana andMozambique. It is the principle language ofZimbabwe, along with Ndebele and English.To say hello in Shona, one says“Mhoro”.

9. ENGLISHEnglish reached the 3rd spot as the mostspoken language in the world, with over 330million speakers. It is known as the ‘linguafranca’ of the world, widely used forinternational business, and is the language ofthe scientific and medical fields which useEnglish as a basis for much of the terminology.In Africa, the majority of native Englishspeakers are from South Africa, and thelanguage is most spoken in Botswana,Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia,Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda,Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Swaziland,Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

10. ARABICArabic is the most commonly spoken languagein Northern part of Africa, with over 80million speakers. Countries include; Morocco,Algeria and Tunisia, as well as Libya, Sudan andEgypt.

Other widely spoken languages of Africainclude Berber, which is a popular dialect inNorth Africa, specifically in Morocco, Algeria,Libya, Tunisia, Mali and Egypt, withapproximately 20 million speakers; Somali,which is a Cushitic language spoken inDjibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya byapproximately 20 million speakers; Fulani,which is widely spoken in western andCentral Africa by approximately 18 millionspeakers; Rundi from Burundi which isspoken by over 10 million people;Kinyarwanda in Rwanda which is spoken byover 10 million speakers and Tigrinya, whichhas over 6 million speakers in Central Eritreaand Sudan. Chichewa is popular in Malawiwith over 6 million speakers, and Spanish isalso spoken in Equatorial Guinea by over600,000 people.

Introduction - Discover Milton Keynes · We feature here the top 10 African languages to know when...

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