Tanzanie

Tanzanian literature: between the glory of Swahili and the decline of books

When the writer Abdulrazak Gurnah, born in Zanzibar in 1948 and exiled to the United Kingdom since the 1960s, received the Nobel Prize in Literature in October 2021, Tanzania was suddenly confronted with an humiliating paradox: its own child, author of ten novels1, praised by critics for decades but never widely read2 — not even in his native country3 — was known to few but scholars and “book nerds”2. Today, his victory has not made him a star, but it has opened a door to the Tanzanian literary scene — a double-faced universe, nourished by Swahili but stifled under the weight of English2.

From ancestral poems to the first novels

Tanzania possesses one of the richest literary traditions in East Africa, but it is a tradition that is primarily oral. For centuries, the peoples of the coast — Swahilis from Kenya to Mozambique, passing through Tanzania — have transmitted tales, epics, and poetry from generation to generation. The utendi4, an epic poem composed of verses with four internal rhymes, recounted battles and love stories over thousands of lines5. Writing was never, for this coastal literature, an end in itself: it was first and foremost the voice.

The rupture arrives with the 19th century and colonization. The first published Swahili novel appears in 1934: Uhuru wa Watumwa (“The Liberation of the Slaves”) by James Mbotela. The first Tanzanian novel in a regional language is Bwana Myombekere na Bibi Bugonoka, Ntulanalwo na Bulihwali (“Mr. Myombekere and his wife Bugonoka, their son Ntulanalwo and the daughter Bulihwali”) by Aniceti Kitereza, written in Kikwerew6 — the mother tongue of the Kikwerew in Tanzania, a people of the Great Lakes region — and published in 1980, forty years after its composition6. This genealogical tale of three generations found no buyer because publishers judged the language “without a market”6. Its late publication remains a cruel metaphor for the difficulty of local African literatures to conquer editorial circuits7.

But the founding father of written Swahili literature is undoubtedly Shaaban bin Robert (1909-1962). Nicknamed the “laureate of Swahili poets”7 and the “father of Swahili”5, this author born in the village of Vibamba, near Tanga7 — a modest but brilliant primary school graduate4 — invented new forms, blending oral tradition and modern writing5. He was the first to treat Swahili literature as an academic genre, thanks to his essay Kielezo cha Insha (“A Commentary on the Essay”)5. He also wrote autobiographies7, political essays, and even the biography of Siti binti Saad, a popular Zanzibari singer5, the most famous artist in East Africa7.

His legacy was taken up by writers such as Euphrase Kezilahabi (1944-2020), poet6 and novelist6 who deliberately chose Swahili7 over English, sacrificing continental fame to strengthen his local literature7. Playwrights like Penina Muhando6 and Ebrahim Hussein6 did the same, making Swahili a popular dramatic art7.

Did you know? Swahili is the first African language to have received an international UNESCO day, proclaimed in 2021. It has more than 200 million speakers and is the official language of the African Union7.

The English school: forgotten novels

Parallel to the rise of Swahili1, a literature in English emerged2, initially relegated to the margins2. The first Tanzanian novel in English is Dying in the Sun by Peter Palangyo, published in 19682. This exceptional modernist2 explores the tensions between tradition and modernity2, a year before the publication of Village in Uhuru by Gabriel Ruhumbika2.

These first Anglophone writers2 — who also include Hamza Sokko, William Mkufya6, Elieshi Lema2, and Marti Mollel2 — were long ignored, even in Tanzania6. Their “invisibility was not due to a lack of quality1, but to the inaccessibility of the texts6,” explains a university study6. The post-independence government of Julius Nyerere preferred Swahili as the national language6, relegating English novels to “elitism”2.

The situation only changed with the independent renaissance of Tanzanian publishing2 and recent reprints6.

The Tanzanian edition: a fight at all times

Since the 1980s, Tanzania has experienced a renaissance of independent publishing. The house Mkuki na Nyota, founded in 1981 by Walter Bgoya2, has become a reference7 for African literature6. Bgoya left the parastatal Tanzanian Publishing House2 in the early 1980s, when austerity measures by the International Monetary Fund threatened the industry2.

« Mkuki na Nyota » (which means « claw and star »)7 has published major authors2, but also the first translation into Swahili of Abdulrazak Gurnah6 — Peponi, translation of Paradise2, carried out by Professor Ida Hadjivayanis of the University of London6. This translation is the first work by Gurnah available in Swahili2, or indeed in any African language7.

However, the writer Ben Okri, Booker Prize laureate and Nigerian writer4, rejoiced: « I am delighted because more people will finally read his brilliant texts on the impact of colonialism »4. Mkuki Bgoya, director of the publishing house, highlights a troubling fact: « We only celebrate Gurnah because he won a Nobel »2. « He is not at all a pop author like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie2 », he explains2. « But even in the English-speaking world, he was never a superstar »2.

Apart from the renaissance of publishers like Mkuki na Nyota, recent initiatives testify to a growing awareness7. The Mabati-Cornell Kiswahili Prize, created in 20148, rewards the best manuscripts in Swahili6. The Tanzanian Publishers Association (PATA), presided over since 2021 by Hermes Damian Salla, is working to strengthen copyright7. A new house, Mbiu Press (lit. « The Trumpet Press »7), publishes complete editions of classic Swahili authors in the series Hidaya ya Mwandishi (« The Writer’s Gift »)7. In 2023, the collection began with the complete works of Shaaban Robert7, followed by Penina Muhando7, Ebrahim Hussein7, Euphrase Kezilahabi7 and Mathias Mnyampala7.

Did you know? The Hidaya ya Mwandishi series by Mbiu Press publishes an annual volume7. In 2026, the collection has already published eight volumes on Shaaban Robert7, including the epic poem of 3,000 verses Utenzi wa Vita vya Uhuru (« The Epic of the War for Freedom »), written between 1939 and 19457, which tells the Second World War from the African point of view7.

Tanzanian contradictions: to read or not to read?

Despite these efforts, Tanzania is living a paradoxical crisis of reading2. Foreign books — American7, European7 — dominate sales7, while Tanzanian authors express themselves mainly in English2, betting on international recognition7.

« Tanzanians approach books as tools, not for pleasure », explains Mkuki Bgoya2. « I was promoted, I look for a book on management. I just got fired, I look for a book on sadness2 ». « Even if poetry speaks of rupture2, unless it is presented as a remedy2, most do not buy »2.

Even in schools, literature remains an exam subject2, not a pleasure2. « School does not present literature as nourishment for the soul2 », laments Mkuki Bgoya2. « It’s just a thing to pass exams. If we forced students to listen to Diamond Platnumz and take a test on it2, they would hate Diamond too2 ». « We do not initiate students to reading for pleasure, neither at school nor at home »2. This creates a « deep wound attached to books »2.

However, the desire to read exists — it goes into exile elsewhere. « There are huge numbers of self-published octopus novels that are flying off the shelves », specifies Mkuki Bgoya2. « Urban thrillers, witchcraft, sex and romance. You see people reading these books on the street »2. Reading exists in Tanzania, but it goes into exile outside publishing circuits6.

An uncertain but promising future

Since Gurnah’s victory, encouraging signals are emerging7. The Mwalimu Nyerere National Award for Creative Writing, launched in 2023, commits the government to buying 40,000 copies7 of the winning works6, to distribute in schools6. The Tanzania International Book Festival (TIBF) has established itself as a pan-African rendezvous7. And Mbiu Press, under the direction of Hermes Damian Salla, takes its mission to the United Nations: in 20267, the author and publisher presented the productions of his house to UNESCO, in Paris7, alongside portraits of 25 great Swahili writers7.

Tanzanian literature does not reduce itself to a single voice. It is an entire literary continent, between Swahili and English6, between oral tradition and digital2, between international glory and reading crisis7. Gurnah’s Nobel Prize is just a mirror: what it reflects is the voice of a nation that is still trying to read itself7.

Sources

  1. Rédaction, « Abdulrazak Gurnah wins 2021 Nobel Prize for depicting impact of colonialism, migration », Reuters, 7 octobre 2021. https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/tanzanian-writer-abdulrazak-gurnah-wins-2021-nobel-prize-literature-2021-10-07 ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  2. Mkuki Bgoya, entretien avec African Arguments, « Swahili writers should be mandatory reading in Tanzania, but there’s a deep trauma around books », African Arguments, 26 juillet 2024. https://africanarguments.org/2024/07/mkuki-bgoya-swahili-writers-should-be-mandatory-reading-in-tanzania-but-theres-a-deep-trauma-around-books ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  3. Sammy Awami, « In Tanzania, Gurnah’s Nobel Prize win sparks both joy and debate », Al Jazeera, 9 octobre 2021. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/9/gurnahs-award-stirs-both-celebration-and-contradictions-at-home ↩︎

  4. Ben Okri, réponse au prix Nobel de littérature 2021, citée dans African Writers’ response to Gurnah’s Nobel win, Brittle Paper, 10 octobre 2021. https://brittlepaper.com/2021/10/103-african-writers-respond-to-abdulrazak-gurnahs-nobel-prize-win/ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  5. « Shaaban bin Robert (1909-1962) », Encyclopedia.com / Britannica, biographie complète. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/shaaban-robert ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  6. « Tanzanian literature », Wikipedia / University of Dar es Salaam Journal, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanzanian_literature ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  7. Uta Reuster-Jahn, « How a Publisher in Tanzania is Building a New Future for Swahili Literature », Publishing Perspectives, 27 octobre 2026. https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/10/how-a-publisher-in-tanzania-is-building-a-new-future-for-swahili-literature ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  8. Abdilatif Abdalla, « Three win Mabati Cornell Kiswahili Prizes », Cornell Chronicle, 19 décembre 2016. https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2016/12/three-win-mabati-cornell-kiswahili-prizes ↩︎