“The internets – fuck yeah; Facebook – fuck yeah; Social-networking – fuck yeah; Africa – fucked? well, yeah,” said Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, at his company’s AGM, held in California this week.  For the most part he is right. But, thanks to his own do-gooding, he may just be wrong about Africa.

 Let it not be heard that Facebook and its founder are not humanitarian, giving, and charitable. In the wake of this week’s meeting the omnipotent, omnipresent, omnistalking website has successfully re-launched itself in Swahili, out of kindness for its growing base of African users.

Now I know what you’re thinking, but Swahili’s not the language that your mother accuses you of mumbling when she fails to understand your ‘well coincimental’ colloquialisms; you’re thinking of Double Dutch. Swahili is in fact a language of 110 million speakers, and the second most commonly heard tongue on the African continent, after Afrikaan.

Although uptake of the new online language format is set to be a little slower than expected, the California-based online group is hoping that the shelving of funding for fresh-running-water projects, in favour of spending upon electricity infrastructure should speed up the introduction of electricity, and the internets in the region.

“I’m pretty sure Facebook can rid the supposedly ‘irreversible fucked’ Africa of all its ills, including civil wars, aids, Robert Mugabe and even Catholicism.” Zuckerberg is reported to have recently boasted.

However, the Harvard graduate added in a side-note that “even Facebook” wasn’t capable of readying South Africa’s stadia on time for the 2010 football World Cup.