Mlango Swahili

Two weeks of Swahili in Stone Town

Mornings in class with Zuwena Vuai, afternoons speaking it in town. Eight places a course, in January and July.

A carved wooden double door in Stone Town with rows of brass studs and a brass centre bar under a plain lintel, a worn stone step in front, between pale grey and faded coral walls

Two courses a year

January and July, two weeks each, Monday to Friday. Both are in Zanzibar's dry seasons, away from the long rains of mid-March to May.

A day at Mlango

Class in the morning

Four hours round one table with Zuwena: grammar first, then speaking.

Lunch together

We eat near the school, and ordering is part of the lesson.

Out in town

With Zuwena at Darajani, Stone Town's main market, buying fruit and spices in Swahili.

Evenings free

Many walk to Forodhani, the seafront gardens, busy after sunset with food stalls.

An open notebook with blank ruled pages and a pen on a dark wooden desk by a window, a glass of tea beside it, old stone houses and the sea outside
Woven baskets of limes, mangoes and red chillies beside jute sacks of cloves, cinnamon and other spices on an old wooden table, a wooden scoop and small brass weights in front

What you'll learn

Greetings, numbers and prices, asking the way, and the present and past tenses. By the second week you shop at Darajani on your own.

The tenses you are missing, a page of the newspaper read together, and longer talks in town. You learn at a table with others at your level.

Where you stay

Stay with a family in Stone Town if you like: breakfast and dinner at their table, and more Swahili every evening. Or book your own room; we'll suggest a few near the school.

How to apply

Fill in the short form with your level and the course you want. We reply within a week with the price and how to hold your place.

Two wooden dhows at anchor on calm teal water at dusk, their sails furled along long yards, under a coral and pale blue sky

Before you apply

Do I need any Swahili before I come?

No. Tell us your level on the form, and you learn at a table with others at the same stage.

How many people are in a course?

Eight at most, so everyone speaks every day. When a course is full, we offer you the next one.

What about the rain?

The long rains last from mid-March to the end of May, and short rains come in November. January and July are both in the dry seasons.

The Mlango Swahili mark: a hammered brass boss from a carved Stone Town door

Zuwena Vuai

Swahili teacher, Stone Town

I teach in the mornings and walk the group through town in the afternoons. Small classes mean you speak from the first day.

Ask us first

Questions before you apply? Write on WhatsApp or email; Zuwena replies within two days.

This is a template preview. The images are AI-generated, and the people and testimonials are fictional.