The Swahili Culture, found predominantly along the Eastern Coast of Africa, is a hybrid culture with predominantly Asiatic and African roots, even though it has borrowed significantly from recent European contact.
The Language
Nowhere is this clearer than in the language (Kiswahili) itself, which is essentially a Bantu language that has borrowed terminology from the many other non-African languages it has encountered; the term ‘Swahili’ is actually derived from Arabic, in which it means ‘people of the coast’, an apt description for these coastal peoples. Loan words include pesa (money, from Portuguese peso), hela (money, from German heller), chai (from Indian chai, tea) and basi (from the English bus). Kiswahili is a phonetic language, meaning words are pronounced exactly as you see them, and its Romanized alphabet doesn’t have letters ‘q’ and ‘x’.
Kiswahili has different dialects, though these are largely mutually intelligible. The dialects are named after the area they are prevalent in. Some of these dialects include:
- Kiunguja (from Unguja, Zanzibar )
- Kipemba (from Pemba Island)
- Kimvita (from Mombasa, formerly known as Mvita)
- Kiamu (from Lamu, formerly known as Amu)
From its birth on the East African coast, Kiswahili has spread all the way into the DRC.
The People
As with many other societies in Africa, the Swahili are a heterogeneous lot, and in Kenya, a person with an Afro-Arabian ancestry can rightly identify himself as a Swahili, especially if his African ancestry is from the coastal Mijikenda group (it was the intermarriage between these coastal Bantus and Arabs that brought about the Swahilis in the first place).
The Culture
Even though Swahili culture had established itself by the 9th century, the classical Swahili culture flourished between the 12th-15 centuries, with the emergence of city states such as Mombasa, Lamu and Zanzibar. A wave of European colonists, started by the Portuguese in the 15th century, subjugated and ended the classical Swahili culture.
Swahili architecture bears a lot of resemblance to Arabian culture, as that is the predominant influence.
The same case applies for Swahili cuisine, which is similar to Indian and Arabian cuisines. Most dishes make regular use of tui, coconut milk, and seafood, such as fish and prawns.
Traditional Swahili attire include the kanzu (full body robe for men) and buibui (a burka). Swahilis are predominantly Muslim, and their traditional clothing are a reflection of the faith.
By Matengo Chwanya
Sources: Wikipedia, Glcom.com, Kenia information guide,
Africa Global News Publication
