George Orwell’s Animal Farm is quite possibly the most politicized text to be translated into the Swahili language. The text first appeared in 1967, the same year as the ujamaa socialist scheme was introduced in Tanzania. It was meant by the…
Kiswahili translation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. Interestingly, in the illustration appearing on the cover as well as those throughout the text, Alice is depicted as an African girl.
Swahili translation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. Interestingly, in the illustration appearing on the cover as well as those throughout the text, Alice is depicted as an African girl.
Kusadikika is the name of an imaginary country, based on the Swahili verb kusadiki (to believe). It is a satire on greed and the abuse of power that speaks for the common people who are not allowed to question anything but are only expected to…
This is a “local color” novelette that is another very early work of Kiswahili prose. In its depiction of life in a typical Zanzibari village, it is perhaps more informative of local customs than of notable literary value. The two main characters,…
A historical novel dealing with ethnic violence in Kenya in the early 1990’s. Two friends of different ethnic groups find themselves involved in a tribal conflict against their will and struggle to preserve their friendship.
A historical novel that takes place during the Mau Mau insurgency in Kenya during the early 1950’s. Relates the suffering of a Kikuyu girl, Mumbi, whose boyfriend is killed in the struggle. She is raped by a collaborationist chief and dies in…