ABSTRACT
The media industry in Tanzania has exploited the growth of information and communication technologies (ICTs), by venturing into the growing internet community, and their use of social media and online digital news platforms, to satisfy their information needs and interests. There are approximately 80 web-based media in Tanzania today, with a majority published in English and Kiswahili, the country’s two official languages. Whilst English became the favoured language during the colonial era and it is still an official language in East Africa, Swahili is prominently used in all spheres of everyday life in Tanzania. Old and new media platforms are increasingly deploying Swahili to inform their audiences. Through in-depth qualitative interviews, this chapter explores the perceptions of and motivations for accessing Swahili online newspapers among students at the University of Dar es Salaam. We argue that, despite the wide application of English as a language of instruction in most tertiary institutions in Tanzania, students’ engagement and comprehension of news media discourses cannot be detached from Swahili due to the power of language in meaning construction and interpretation.
