Nyaigotti-Chacha, Chacha.: Sauti ya utetezi ushairi wa Abdilatif Abdalla. Book review.

It is heartening to note that the number of contemporary Swahili scholars whose work is receiving attention in books and university theses is steadily on the increase. This volume adds Abdilatif Abdalla to the list containing, so far as I know, the names of Muhammed Said Abdulla, Ebrahim Hussein and Euphrase Kezilahabi It is a volume on the poetry of Abdalla which Nyaigotti-Chacha writes with wrumth, understanding and a desire to place in perspective the poet`s works, in particular, Utenzi wa maisha ya Adamu na Hawaa (1971) and Sauti ya dhiki (1973) For this reason, perhaps, it tends to be less critical and more informative Nyaigotti--Chacha divides his work into four chapters. The first chapter introduces the reader to the author`s reasons for undertaking to Wiite it, originally his M A thesis at the University of Nairobi (1980) A bdefbut useful biography of Abdilatif Abdalla (ppJ-9), and a theoretical orientation to the author`s analysis of the works (pp 9--11) - socialistic in the Marxian mould - furnishes the reader with the background required fm a better understanding of what follows in the next two chapters which examine Utenzi and Sauti .. respectively The final chapter investigates the skills of Abdalla as a poe

Governance and Islam in East Africa: Muslims and the State in Kenya and Tanzania

Explores the relationship between Muslim communities and the State in East Africa in political, institutional and legal contexts Focuses on the relationship between Muslims and the State in Kenya and Tanzania Asks which factors, both within and outside the Muslim community, shape and affect this relationship in contemporary times Presents 13 case studies exploring governance issues within and across the categories of politics, institutions and law in Kenya and Tanzania Identifies cross-cutting issues of governance and Muslim communities which are relevant beyond East Africa Recent studies of Muslims in Kenya and Tanzania have tended either to examine governance of Muslims in relation to security issues, or to discuss the reforms attempted within communities and their implications for Muslim theology, rituals and general welfare. Both these approaches are covered in this book, and a third is added – the study of Muslims as citizens or residents of their respective countries, looking at their activities and attitudes in relation to the various challenges they face together with their fellow compatriots and citizens.https://ecommons.aku.edu/uk_ismc_series_emc/1014/thumbnail.jp

Critical Swahili Studies: a Collective Exercise in ‘Concepting’ Uswahili

This contribution, enriched by Kai Kresse’s dibaji, is a collective Exercise – a mazungumzo – in ‘Concepting’ Uswahili that, rather than pointing to answers, conclusions or definitions, opens up to further debates on Swahili Studies. ‘Critical Swahili Studies’ cannot simply be the study of Swahili language and literature (only); nor the study of Swahili culture and society (only). It is to be qualified by a critical way of engagement, and a concern for the study of ‘human social life’, exploring different levels of meaningfulness for people on the Swahili coast, and within the wider Swahili context, with a view to the parameters of its validity. It includes perspectives on ‘thinking society’ and ‘understanding life’ from within, how it is lived, grounded upon, and seen and expressed through the lens of Swahili language-and-beyond-language. Critical Swahili Studies, then, will be about sensitive and engaged research on issues that are at the heart of society in Swahili contexts and with a focus on human experience, through the lens of a Swahili conceptual framework

Projecting Islam: Narrative in Swahili Poetry

This paper explores the role of the narrative in projecting the message of Islam in Swahili poetry. It examines a selection of verses from poems written in the utenzi form, noting the tendency in many writers to narrate the early events of Islam that occurred in Arabia and the neighbouring countries. In doing so, the poets not only project the values inherent in the events but they present their selection and interpretation of those events. The paper also briefly examines the form and language of the narratives