Tanzania, July 7 -- Dar/Arusha. The government said yesterday that it has set aside an area of 100 acres for the construction of a Kiswahili university.

The area, located in Bagamoyo district in Pwani Region, will also serve as a cultural centre, according to the minister for Culture, Arts and Sports, Mr Mohamed Mchengerwa.

He was speaking during a Kiswahili symposium themed; "Contribution of the Kiswahili Language in the Liberation Movement".

The conference was a continuation of the celebrations to mark the World Kiswahili Language Day, which is being celebrated for the first time in the world today after the Unesco declaration.

Mr Mchengerwa raised the issue of the college after former minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Bernard Membe, ...