By BBC World Service
Published August 19, 2013
The BBC Swahili weekend radio programme, BBC Ulimwengu Wa Soka (BBC World of Football), started the English Soccer Premier League season commentary for Kiswahili-speaking audiences across East Africa on August 17, 2013.
Throughout the 2013-2014 season, the BBC Ulimwengu Wa Soka presenters, Salim Kikeke, Charles Hilary, Yves Bucyana and Abdul Mohamed, will bring the latest news from the Premier League and live commentary from 16.30 EAT (17.30 EAT after the end of summer time) every Saturday and Sunday. The BBC Swahili presenters will preview the match and also offer post-match analysis.
The season’s first live radio commentary on BBC Ulimwengu Wa Soka on Saturday, August 17, 2013, covered the match between Arsenal and Aston Villa which took place at the Emirates Stadium in London. As usual, the conversation spanned radio, Facebook and Twitter, with fans engaging with the BBC Kiswahili page on Facebook, Salim Kikeke’s Twitter handle @Salym, as well as SMS to +447786202005.
“Good football times are here once again: new season, new players, new managers. I’m sure fans want to see the performance of David Moyes at Manchester United and are wondering what Chelsea’s Jose Mourinho will do. There are so many questions, and we are looking forward to starting our commentary on BBC Ulimwengu Wa Soka and sharing the excitement of the new Premier League season with our audiences, wherever they are,” Salim Kikeke said of the development a day before the broadcast commenced
The BBC Kiswahili Radio content is available on BBC FM stations and/or partner radio networks in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Congo-Kinshasa. Programmes are also available for listening via the website bbcswahili.com which offers up-to-the minute news, features and analysis on East Africa and the rest of the world in text, audio and video.
BBC Kiswahili is part of BBC World Service; an international multimedia broadcaster which delivers a wide range of language and regional services on radio, TV, online and via wireless handheld devices. BBC World Service uses multiple platforms to reach its weekly audience of 192 million globally, including shortwave, AM, FM, digital satellite and cable channels. Its news sites include audio and video content and offer opportunities to join the global debate. BBC World Service offers its multilingual radio content to partner FM stations around the world and has numerous partnerships supplying content to news websites, mobile phones and other wireless handheld devices as well as TV channels.
The BBC attracts a weekly global audience of 256 million people to its international news services including BBC World Service, BBC World News television channel and bbc.com/news.
