This article presents an interpretation of Said Ahmed Mohamed`s forth novel Kiza katika Nuru (1988). My aim is to show that this novel is an engaging model of modern Swahili fiction, in which the author provides a very acute perception of the contemporary social and political realities in Tanzania. The article focuses on the plot and characters, and will wouch some aspects of language usage and problems of translation. The latter aspect is derived from my work experience in translation Kiza katika Nuru into Italian: Il buio nella luce (Nocera 2004).

This article deals with the translation into Italian of the Swahili novel Utengano by Said Ahmad Mohamed, which was published in March 2005 under the title `Seperazione`by an Italian Publishing House, Rubbettino Editiore. Translation is a very important form of intercultural communication, which can provide contact with new readers, expected and unexpected ones. In the following pages I will decribe the main features of my translation of the novel Utengano, highlighting the main differences between the first version, that I produced as an appendix to the M.A. thesis, and the manuscript that I submitted to the publishing house.

I would like to present the latest novel by Said Ahmed Mohamed, Babu alipofofuka (\''When Grandfather came to life again\''), published at the end of the last year. The mine will be only a first, preliminary and very inadequate attempt as, I am sure, this work will challenge us for quite a few years. In fact, after five realistic novels the author has adopted a new technique, turning to magic realism as he himself defines his work, but perhaps it is a too limitative definition. He depicts our world in a near future, when Tanzania and other African countries will have already undergone the process of globalization. The results are disastrous: impoverished and dulled masses are governed by a handful of immensely rich, powerful and arrogant persons mostly of foreign origin, deprived of all human qualities, who have thrown away any inhibition and deliberately sunk in all sorts of physical and moral debasement; nothing embarrasses nor frightens them anymore as they feel unpunishable.

In the last decades many literary critics have appraised the works of Zanzibarian writers; referring to the prose of Mohamed Suleiman Mohamed, Said Ahmed Mohamed and Shafi Adam Shafi, M M. Mulokozi wrote in 1985: \"The most significant, and certainly most spectacular, development in the Swahili fiction of the Seventies and Eighties has been the emergence of Zanzibar as the producer of the best Swahili fiction to date, and the apparent torch bearer for the Kiswahili novel of the near future\" (Arnold 1985: 174). The same enthusiasm was shared by R. Ohly who, confronting the novels written by Zanzibarian writers and those by Tanzanian and Kenyan writers in a time span going from 1975 to 1981, has defined the Zanzibarian prose a challenge to the artistic competence of other Swahili writers (cf. Ohly 1990). Although I found the comparative pattern used by Ohly debatable, having concentrated for the up-country literary production only on popular short novels - to be better evaluated not following negative, contrastive cliches but within the context of that particular trend -, obscuring moreover other talented writers like Euphrase Kezilahabi or Claude Mung`ong`o, his criticism has nevertheless the merit of having highlighted the main qualities of Zanzibarian novels, namely a deep interest for historical and social matters, along with an extremely rich and colourful language and a serious concern for stylistic features. These attributes of Zanzibarian literary style fit very well to the last novel by Shafi Adam Shafi, Vuta n`kuvute, published in 1999; in the following pages my aim is to explore the way the author of this work artistically manipulates themes, literary suggestions and stylistic devices, re-elaborating thus the experience of Kiswahili and Zanzibarian prose in a creative way.

The Swahili novel, a literary genre lately appeared in Tanzania, has undoubtedly found a brilliant and mature expression in the works of the Zanzibarian writer Said Ahmed Mohamed. His novel Utengano, published in 1980, is a unique work in the Swahili literary production of the Seventies and Eighties, with regard to both the themes treated and the very elaborated style of the author, who has given a dense and homogeneous quality to this genre, which is by definition open and composite, totally different from the short story, the organisation of different elements representing a challenge to the capacities of a writer in terms of composition. In this paper I will focus on a feature of Utengano which, in my view, points out to the good achievement of a novel, namely the author`s utterance of a leitmotiv or general abstract idea creating cross-references and symbolic relations between the different levels of a literary text. The leitmotiv I found in Utengano is the idea of dynamism, in other words motion, energy that produces changes, which permeates the whole work unifying the different levels of expression. These latter will be analysed separately to allow a clear exposition, but the dialectical relationship between the `what` and the `how´ represents the key to the reading of this novel.

Since the very moment of their appearance two recent works of Euphrase Kezilahabi- Nagana (1990) and Mzingile (1991)- hold a very special place in the whole development ofKiswahili literature, giving a lot of puzzles for the reader and a lot of material for the scholars of literature. I\'' m going to dwell upon only one aspect of the book - its generic origin; for I think that this question will sooner or later arise. To this effect, I would dare first narrate - very briefly - the contents of the book I would refer to it as `the book´, although it actually consists of two parts - but these parts are so closely related to each other, that it seems possible to speak of Nagana and Mzingile as one piece of work. To what literary genre shall we ascribe the latest work of Tanzania` s leading writer? I would dare to come forward with such a question, because within the structure of the book there seem to be at least four more or less easily tangible stylistic plans. The first one I would call a folkloristic plan, for Kezilahabi uses widely and vividly the elements of African folklore - from mythological concepts to folklore plots, inserted into the narration. The second stylistic plan of the book can be called that of a parable - a parable in the sense of a self-contained story conveying didactic message to a reader or a listener. The book is full of such stories. The next stylistic plan one can call that of science-fiction - or, I would rather say, of antiutopia, for the author draws apocalyptic pictures of the world after the nuclear war, implyin the technique inherent to science-fiction novels. Finally, another stylistic plan of the book can be called realistic - for the author gives, for example, the descriptions of modern city, where the Msichana-Mwokozi dwells, or of an African village, when he tells about the childhood of the main character, using the traditions of east African realistic novel, portraying shortly but vividly urban and rural life. I would say that this realistic plan takes smaller place than the other three - but it is by no means less noticeable.

Makala hii inachambua riwaya ya pili ya mwandishi maarufu wa Kiswahili, Euphrase Kezilahabi (*1944) iitwayo Kichwamaji (1974). Inajaribu kuzingatia mikondo miwili ya uchambuzi yaani inajadili kwa ufupi nadharia ipi au mkondo upi wa kimawazo unafaa zaidi katika kuichambua riwaya hiyo: udhanaishi au ufeministi. Je, inawezekana kuunganisha yote mawili? / In this essay, I would like to analyse the novel Kichwamaji (‘Empty-head’; 1974) by the well-known Tanzanian writer Euphrase Kezilahabi against the background of two philosophical theories: existentialism and feminism. I will first discuss existentialism and the existentialist elements in the novel. Then I will present feminist theory and focus on the female characters in Kichwamaji. I will argue that a feminist reading of the novel is impossible due to its predominant existentialist character.

Makala haya yanashughulikia maswahli ya udhanaishi katika fasihi ya Kiswahili. Makala yanalinganisha riwaya mbili, Mgeni ya mwandishi wa Kifaransa anayeitwa Albert Camus na Kichwamachi ya mwandishi wa Kiwahili, Euphrase Kezilahabi, na kuonyesha jinsi riwaya hizo zinayofanana na zinavyotofautiana. Kwa vile Kichwamaji inafanana na Mgeni, ni sahihi humwita Kezilahabi mwandishi ya udhanaishi, lakini kuna tofauti nyingi pia baina ya riwaya hizo mbili. Tofauti moja ni kwamba Albert Camus anamtazama mtu peke yake na hali yake iliyotengwa kabisa na watu wengine, na Kezilahabi, licha ya mtu peke yake, anaizingatia jamii nzima na hali yake vilevile. Tofauti hii ni tokeo la sifa za communalism katika mawazo Kiafrika ya kimapokeo yanayotilia mkazo jamaa na jami, siyo mtu peke yake. / This article analyses and compares the the two writings Kichwamaji by Euphrase Kezilahabi and L´etranger by Albert Camus. Written in the tradition of existentialism, the two writings have many similarities but also differ in some important aspects. While Camus sees the individual just by itself, Kezilahabi also includes the whole family and is writing with it in the tradition of the african communalism.

Chachage Seithy L. Chachage aliyezaliwa mwaka 1955 wilayani Njombe ni mmojawapo wa waandishi wakongwe wa riwaya ya Kiswahili. Hadi hii leo amechapisha riwaya nne. Katika mahojiano haya yaliyofanyika tarehe 30 Machi, mwaka 2004, huko Chuo Kikuu cha Dar es Salaam tulitia mkazo zaidi kwenye riwaya yake mpya Makuadi wa Soko Huria (2002). Hivi sasa mwandishi ni Profesa na Mkuu wa Idara ya Sosholojia ya Chuo Kikuu cha Dar es Salaam.

Mahojiano haya yamefanyika tarehe 11 Januari 2008, mjini Mainz, Ujerumani, wakati wa Kongamano la Tisa la Janheinz Jahn “Beyond ‘murder by magic’: investigating African crime fiction” lililofanyika Chuo Kikuu cha Mainz.