Modern Swahili poetry
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2766151 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Farouk Topan (0000-0001-5593-1513, corresponding author), Farouk M Topan |
| Year | 1974 |
| Volume | 37 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 175-187 |
| Publication date | 1974-02-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0041-977X • E-ISSN: 1474-0699 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0041977x00094945 |
| OpenAlex | W2130692740 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 8 |
| References cited | 1 |
It is possible to distinguish broadly four types of Swahili poetry in East Africa today.The first type, mashairi (lit.) 'poems', is characterized in form by symmetrical verses which have an equal number of lines (usually not exceeding six) in each verse, and an equal number of syllables (usually not more than sixteen) in each line. This type is extremely popular with the people and with the majority of the poets: mashairi appear regularly in Swahili newspapers-Baraza, Kiongozi, Uhuru, etc.-and weekly radio programmes in Tanzania and Kenya are devoted to them. It is thus not surprising that almost every Swahili scholar is familiar with this form, and the bulk of the publications on Swahili poetry both in English and in Kiswahili are on it. Since much has been written on its prosody, I shall not discuss it further here
Art · Ethnology · Linguistics · Literature · Media studies · Newspaper · Poetry · Sociology · Swahili · Tanzania · African history and culture analysis · Global Maritime and Colonial Histories · History · Philosophy · Postcolonial and Cultural Literary Studies
Pioneers of the Popular
Swahili Poetic Tradition
The Genres of Swahili Philosophy
One Size Fits All
Indigenous Knowledge and Marine Conservation in Oral Poems from the Kenyan Coast
East and Central Africa
The Black Experience in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean
A solitary war? Genre, community and philosophy in Swahili culture
| Citations per year | 0.15 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1973 - 2025 (53) |
| Highly cited | No |