Main Article Content
Religion and the Development of Swahili Political Poetry
Abstract
Religion and literature have a powerful symbiotic relationship.
Just as the former renders truth of a kind, so is literature an
expression of truth about society. In both one encounters shared
concerns for and responses to life. It is within this context that this article explores links between politics and religion as articulated in Kiswahili poetry. In particular, the paper offers a synthesis between political poetry and intellectual history of Africa. By examining the character and function of this type of Swahili poetry, the paper strives to understand the ideological and political undercurrents among religions that have sought to shape the continent and its identity. This article is not simply an exercise in practical criticism, rather it has an underlying polemical purpose: to show that Swahili poetry has always been engaged with African history.
With the burden of humanizing society, Swahili poetry has the proper and essential role of giving its audience a sense of community.
Just as the former renders truth of a kind, so is literature an
expression of truth about society. In both one encounters shared
concerns for and responses to life. It is within this context that this article explores links between politics and religion as articulated in Kiswahili poetry. In particular, the paper offers a synthesis between political poetry and intellectual history of Africa. By examining the character and function of this type of Swahili poetry, the paper strives to understand the ideological and political undercurrents among religions that have sought to shape the continent and its identity. This article is not simply an exercise in practical criticism, rather it has an underlying polemical purpose: to show that Swahili poetry has always been engaged with African history.
With the burden of humanizing society, Swahili poetry has the proper and essential role of giving its audience a sense of community.
