Tanzanian newspaper poetry: political commentary in verse

Abstract

By the 1910s, swahiliphone newspapers in what was then Deutsch-Ostafrika featured poetry as a mainstay of the newspaper form. Swahili poetry, mostly written by nonprofessional poets, remains a standard element of contemporary Swahili language newspapers throughout Tanzania today. This essay, featuring numerous newspaper poems translated by the author in collaboration with master Kenyan poet Abdilatif Abdalla, offers an overview of the genre from its emergence in the colonial era to the end of the twentieth century with an emphasis on praise poems about three political rulers: (1) German colonial-era poems about Kaiser Wilhelm II; (2) British colonial-era poems about King George V; and (3) post-independence poems about first president Julius Nyerere published at various points in his political career and following his death. By examining these poems within their political and historical contexts, I seek to construct a poetry-driven, citizens' narrative of Nyerere's political career and explore the poetics of popular expectations and assessments of governance.

Keywords:

• Swahili poetry
• newspapers
• politics
• poetics
• Nyerere

Acknowledgements

The research on which this essay is based was funded by the University of Michigan Office of the Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs (OSVPAA) in two grants (2012, 2013). My deep thanks go to Senior Vice Provost Lester Monts for his support. This essay was written while the author was a fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin (2012–2013). Support of the institute is gratefully acknowledged, with special thanks for the opportunity to work with master poet Abdilatif Abdalla on the translations of the poems discussed herein. To Abdilatif Abdalla I offer my deep gratitude for long discussions, shared translation labors, and a cherished friendship. Early drafts received critical input from the “African Print Cultures” network, especially Karin Barber, Rebecca Jones, Stephanie Newell, Derek Peterson, David Pratten, and Kate Skinner; and from participants at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Afrikakolloquium, especially Lutz Diegner, Vital Kazimoto, and Howard Stern. My thanks as well go to the two anonymous reviewers who offered very insightful suggestions for improvement. All errors and infelicities are my own.

Notes

1. Greene et al, eds. Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics, 1380–1382.

2. Mulokozi, “Revolution and Reaction”; Mulokozi and Sengo, History of Kiswahili Poetry.

3. For more on the varying traditions and structures of Swahili poetry, please see Abedi, Sheria za Kutunga Mashairi; Biersteker, Kujibizana; Harries, “Cultural Verse-Forms in Swahili”; Harries, Swahili Poetry; Komba, Uwanja wa Mashairi; Maw, Fire and Lightning; Miehe et al., Kala Shairi; Mulokozi and Sengo, History of Kiswahili Poetry; Njogu, Reading Poetry as Dialogue; Saavedra Casco, Utenzi, War Poems; Shariff, Tungo Zetu. A modernist school of Swahili poetry rejecting the traditional rules of composition and advocating free verse did emerge in the 1970s (Madumulla et al., “Politics, Ideology and Poetic Form”) but this has not proved popular.

4. Mulokozi and Sengo, History of Kiswahili Poetry; Miehe and Abdalla, Poems Attributed to Fumo Liyongo.

5. Biersteker, Kujibizana; Biersteker and Shariff, Mashairi ya Vita; Miehe et al. Kala Shairi; Saavedra Casco, Utenzi, War Poems.

6. Scotton, “Tanganyika's African Press,” 4; also Kezilahabi, “The House of Everydayness,” 191.

7. Askew, Performing the Nation.

8. Sturmer, Media History of Tanzania, 42–5, 65, 178. See also Kezilahabi, “The House of Everydayness,” 191.

9. Lemke, “Die Suaheli-Zeitungen und -Zeitschriften”; Sturmer, Media History of Tanzania.

10. Sturmer, Media History of Tanzania, 30.

11. Askew, Performing the Nation, 43f.

12. Lemke, “Die Suaheli-Zeitungen und -Zeitschriften”; Sturmer, Media History of Tanzania; Geider, “Paper Memory of East Africa.”

13. Lemke, “Die Suaheli-Zeitungen und -Zeitschriften,” 44. Translated by Ben Fortson.

14. Saavedra Casco, Utenzi, War Poems.

15. Lemke, “Die Suaheli-Zeitungen und -Zeitschriften,” 44; Velten, Prosa und Poesie der Suaheli, 343–9; Miehe and Abdalla, Poems Attributed to Fumo Liyongo, 471–7.

16. Maw, Fire and Lightning, 30. Another example of an acrostic, which was published in the newspaper Mambo Leo, is the poem “A.B.C.D.” by Omari Sebu of Tabora (in Mashairi ya Mambo Leo, Vol. 1, 23). This is an innovation building from an earlier Swahili poetic genre of composing acrostics based on the Arabic alphabet. My thanks to an anonymous reviewer for pointing this out.

17. Lemke, “Die Suaheli-Zeitungen und -Zeitschriften,” 43. Translated by Ben Fortson.

18. Lemke, “Die Suaheli-Zeitungen und -Zeitschriften,” 49–50. Translated by A. Abdalla and K. Askew.

19. Likely a metaphorical phrase indicating that he has dispensed darkness in many places.

20. The correct term is jinsi but to maintain the acrostic form, the poet instead substituted a “G”.

21. Brandenburg eagle, symbol of the Prussian state.

22. Corrected wahaidi to the correct wakaidi, the former being a nonsense word.

23. Harries, “Cultural Verse-Forms in Swahili,” 181; Miehe et al., Kala Shairi, 34–5.

24. Lemke, “Die Suaheli-Zeitungen und -Zeitschriften,” 46–8. Translated by A. Abdalla and K. Askew.

25. Kuingia utamboani is an idiomatic phrase meaning “to fight”.

26. Lemke, “Die Suaheli-Zeitungen und -Zeitschriften,” 48f. Translated by Ben Fortson.

27. Miehe et al, Kala Shairi, 478–9. Translation by Miehe et al.

28. Kaiser Wilhelm II was the son of Friedrich III, not Wilhelm I.

29. Wadachi does not fit the rhyme scheme for this verse, but as an anonymous reviewer suggested, it was likely an editor's substitution for Wazungu, which would have indeed fit.

30. Zache, “Beiträge zur Suaheli-Litterature,” 133–7.

31. Vail and White, Power and the Praise Poem, 43. For more examples, see Askew, “As Plato Duly Warned”; Askew, Performing the Nation; Finnegan, Oral Literature in Africa; Gunner, Politics and Performance; Mitchell, Kalela Dance; Scott, Domination and Arts of Resistance; Tracey, Chopi Musicians.

32. For a rich analysis of Swahili poetry during the German colonial, please see Saavedra Casco, Utenzi, War Poems.

33. Miehe et al., Kala Shairi, 479.

34. Velten, Prosa und Poeisie der Suaheli; Saavvedra Casco, Utenzi, War Poems.

35. Saavvedra Casco, Utenzi, War Poems, 1943f; Miehe et al., Kala Shairi, 92.

36. Kezilahabi, “Development of Swahili Poetry,” 64.

37. Arnold, “Swahili Literature and Modern History”; Mulokozi, “Revolution and Reaction”; Biersteker, Kujibizana.

38. Hunter, “Our Common Humanity,” 9.

39. Pwani na Bara, which initially ran from 1910–6, was relaunched in 1978 and apparently still prints today. A new Kiongozi completely unrelated to the Tanga School newspaper was launched in 1950 as the main publication of the Catholic Church and also continues today. Sturmer, Media History of Tanzania.

40. Hunter, “Our Common Humanity,” 285; Geider, “Paper Memory of East Africa,” 263–8.

41. Mashairi ya Mambo Leo, Vol. 1, 28–29. Translated by A. Abdalla and K. Askew.

42. Asad is Arabic for “lion.”

43. Furija is colloquiual Arabic for celebration.

44. Reference to the Swahili saying: Asiyekuwa na mwana aeleke jiwe (“She who doesn't have a child should carry a stone on her back”), meaning everyone should participate, and come in big numbers (bringing even fake children).

45. Mbayana means “openly, in an open fashion,” meaning no restrictions, no one will be banned from attending.

46. Wani = shortened form of wa nini.

47. This line has no seeming connection to what preceded it. Likely forced for the sake of rhyme.

48. Matulubu = that which you are expecting to receive.

49. Meaning of this pen name unknown.

50. Mashairi ya Mambo Leo, Vol. 3, 56–60. Translated by A. Abdalla and K. Askew

51. Bwana shauri was the title given to colonial administrators. So on this day no “advice” will be available.

52. Food in this context means the poem, since a newspaper is made of words.

53. The term kadiri here is one of the praise names for God and typically not used outside of that context.

54. Hunter, “Our Common Humanity,” 287.

55. Harries, “Cultural Verse-Forms in Swahili.”

56. Harries, “Poetry and Politics in Tanzania,” 52.

57. Translated by Abdilatif Abdalla and Kelly Askew, February 2013, Berlin.

58. Suna refers to knowledge about the Prophet from secondary sources, stories, accounts. Also used to mean “precedent” or something normally done.

59. Kutawaza is to be in seclusion. The poet's reference to being in seclusion is metaphorical for still being a novice poet.

60. Translated by Abdilatif Abdalla and Kelly Askew.

61. In his speeches, Nyerere often used the metaphor kupe (“ticks”) for “capitalists” or “exploiters”. See Hunter, “Revisiting Ujamaa”; and Brennan, “Blood Enemies.”

62. Limewatoa kamasi, literally “it has caused them to produce snot,” is a colloquialism for something causing hardship.

63. The meaning of majumba yakala lasi ya alai yalofikia escapes us. But since the Mwongozo was just mentioned, it could reference the prohibition against having second homes for rental income.

64. Translated by Abdilatif Abdalla and Kelly Askew.

65. Newsprint smudged; word unclear.

66. The meaning of kunanga is unknown to us; we infer “to deride” from the context.

67. Before foreigners introduced Western measurements of kilograms and pounds, Swahili used to measure in kibaba and pishi measurements. There's also a Swahili saying: Haba nah aba hujaza kibaba, meaning literally, “Grain by grain, the kibaba will be filled” or “Little by little….”

68. The metaphor here signifies someone who is not superficial but gets to the heart of the matter.

69. Askew, “Sung and Unsung.”

70. Translated by Abdilatif Abdalla and K. Askew.

71. “Donge” means a clump of something. So refers to something clumped up in one's heart or soul. Nitatoa donge langu = colloquialism for unburdening yourself of something; saying what's bothering you.

72. Litiki ewa is not Kiswahili. Meaning unknown.

73. Translated by Abdilatif Abdalla and Kelly Askew.

74. Kiboko is a whip made of hippo hide, which deals heavy blows. I credit a reviewer for this insight.

75. Shift in addressee. Was in previous verses addressing Nyerere; now addressing the editor.

76. Geider, “Paper Memory of East Africa,” 276.

77. Barber, “Popular Arts in Africa,” 11.

78. Conrad, German Colonialism, 83.

79. Barber, The Anthropology of Texts, 4.