Muyaka: 19th Century Swahili Poetry

Muyaka: 19th Century Swahili Poetry

The nineteenth century saw the rise of a written poetic tradition that moved toward the secular, with everyday issues of social and political interest captured in verse. Perhaps the most notable poet whose works exemplified this trend was Muyaka wa Mwinyi Haji (1776-1840) of Mombasa. He wrote on such everyday themes as love and infidelity, prosperity and drought, the sexual exploits of key figures of his time, and the everyday problems of Mombasans.

Call Number: PL8704.A2 A33

Abdulaziz, Mohammed H.

Nairobi: Kenya Literature Bureau, 1979.

Swahili, English