Abstract
Fasihi ya Kiswahili (Swahili literature) comprises a large and heterogeneous body of oral and written works from various ethnic, regional, and socio-economic backgrounds that use Swahili language as their vehicle of composition. This chapter outlines the developments in Swahili literature from the seventeenth-century religious texts to the experimental twenty-first-century works covering a rich variety of secular themes in different styles and dialects. Appreciating the diversity of Swahili literature and the malleability of the language itself, it begins with an outline of early texts, written before the nineteenth century. The chapter examines secular texts written after the nineteenth century before outlining experimental works that go against European and Arab generic traditions. Cognizant of the intercultural heritage and heterogeneity of the Swahili literature, it covers Swahili's rich poetic traditions as well as the relatively new prose writing and dramas in this language.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Title of host publication | A Companion to African Literatures |
Publisher | wiley |
Pages | 79-99 |
Number of pages | 21 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781119058199 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781119058175 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 9 2021 |
Keywords
- Dramatized poetic forms
- Intercultural heritage
- Oral literature
- Prose writing
- Religious texts
- Secular themes
- Swahili literature
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Arts and Humanities