This book constitutes a precious resource for scholars interested in Swahili poetry, literary translation and comparative literature. In my view, two fundamental sources of potential arise from the volume. Firstly, even if its release as an academic publication would probably mean distribution on a small scale, the translation of these creative writings into Italian contribute to enhancing the visibility and presence of Swahili literature in the international literary market. Secondly, the publication of the translation into Italian might be an important factor in promoting exchange between the fields of Swahili literature and the comparative criticism of African-language literatures in Italy.

Revised version of Thesis (M.A.)--University of London, 1966. / "Index of the titles of the verses of Muyaka": p. [336]-338. Includes bibliographical references (p. [339]-340).

Revised version of Thesis (M.A.)--University of London, 1966. / "Index of the titles of the verses of Muyaka": p. [336]-338. Includes bibliographical references (p. [339]-340).

Euphrase Kezilahabi, outstanding Swahili writer, thinker and scholar who was born on 13 April, 1944, passed away on 9 January, 2020. In this obituary, Roberto Gaudioso pays homage to his path-breaking achievements in Swahili creative literature by highlighting his poetry which Gaudioso has studied in depth. He emphasizes that the late Kezilahabi’s contribution as an intellectual and a poet goes beyond limits of space and time, as is shown by generations of researchers and translators who have been working on him.

In her review, Flavia Aiello states that Roberto Gaudioso’s monograph, his PhD thesis written under the co-tutelle of the University of Naples “L’Orientale” and the University of Bayreuth, is a robust study of Euphrase Kezilahabi’s dynamic “thinking poetry” as expressed in his poetry collections. She emphasizes that due to its well-informed theoretical grounding, original critical approach to Kezilahabi’s poetry and close-reading textual analysis, this book represents valuable reading for literary researchers investigating the works of Euphrase Kezilahabi and for scholars interested in new critical approaches to Swahili poetry.

This research focuses on the phenomenon of Swahili poetry and its continued existence amongst Swahilis in Lamu Town, a performative art that is gradually waning in traditional contexts. When people talk about mashairi (poems) in Lamu Town they are referring to both Swahili songs and poems, the two terms are used interchangeably. Mashairi also refers to a form found in Swahili poetry. I look at the usage of the text from these mashairi as lyrics employed in duas (special Islamic prayers) and traditional songs and dances specifically performed by women during Swahili weddings. It is an art that has existed for hundreds of years dating back to the 11th century through oral sources. I begin by defining the East African region, who the Swahili people are, while providing a historical background of their origins and the Swahili language. I also explore Arabic influences on Swahili culture, language and literature as part of the Re-Centring AfroAsia project (Musical and human migrations in the pre-colonial period of 700-1500AD) that has sponsored this research project. Swahili poetry continues to celebrate traditional lyrics in songs and dances performed by women in contemporary Swahili culture. There are specific members of the community who are known to possess mashairi compositional skills. Families planning weddings and duas will request that these poets compose a corpus of mashairi with detailed specifications. They are then used as lyrics in songs and dances attached to these ceremonies or they are performed as stand-alone songs. Mashairi had first existed as oral literature and stand-alone songs owing to archaic wedding songs and dances. They continue to be an essential defining feature of Swahili traditional practices. I give a laconic history of classical Swahili poetry; how Arabic facets directly or indirectly influenced this art after Arabs developed ties with Africans living on the Swahili littoral. I provide a condensed historical background on the life of one of the first and most prolific Swahili poets, Fumo Liyongo, and briefly explore factors that influenced his compositions. I rigorously analyse lyrics of songs and dances whose texts have been derived from modern mashairi and compare their themes, narratives and structure with classical mashairi. I also scrutinize the role and importance of the art of mashairi as a source of lyrics and the efforts of two poets from Lamu Town whose compositions are socially impacting the society. This art has survived for hundreds of years and has come to symbolize the enduring spirit of the Swahili people.

No description available.

No description available.

For the students of Swahili poetry that predates the twentieth century (e.g. Muyaka, Alinkishafi, Mwana Kupona, Hamzivva and others) there has always been a dire need for a book which could aid in the understanding of this poetry. This need is made acute by two main reasons: Firstly, classical Swahili poetry is written partly in what is known as Kingozi, an archaic form of language believed by many to be some kind of proto-Swahili. Secondly, the language of old Swahili poetry also incorprates a lot of features from the northern dialects of Swahili (e.g. Kiarnu, Kip ate, Kisiu etc) This combination of archaic Swahili and features from the northern dialects of the language renders both the understanding and the explication of the pre-twentieth Swahili poetry rather difficult for many readers.

This article is a comparative study of the critiques of developments in Shona and Swahili poetry that began in 1970s Tanzania and 1980s Zimbabwe, after the introduction of regular patterns in Shona poetry (late 1950s) and of free verse in Swahili literature (late 1960s). These verse forms became the object of heated debate about the nature of ‘tradition’ and of ‘colonial’ innovation among scholars, intellectuals and poets. These debates went beyond notions of stylistic canons; rather, they focused on identity, as closely connected with tradition and the need for decolonization. The problem recognized in this paper is that this criticism became prescriptive, implying the risk of limiting verbal-artistic expression in terms of style and content. This article shows a continuity between these different contexts in relation to critical opposition to stylistic innovation and freedom of (expressing) thought. By comparing the poetry and philosophy of the Tanzanian poet Euphrase Kezilahabi and Zimbabwean poet Chirikure Chirukure, this paper problematizes the terms of these debates and proposes an inductive and aesthetic approach to texts that avoids prescriptivism.