Annachiara Raia in Kenyan radio show about Swahili language

Annachiara Raia was a guest speaker in a new Kenyan radio programme, 'Lahaja na mashairi' ('Dialects and poetry'), about Swahili language varieties and literature. Dr Raia talked about the relevance of Kiamu (the dialect of Swahili spoken on Lamu island) as the literary language of the Swahili poetry Golden Age (18th-19th century), when many literary works were composed in Kiamu. She commented for instance on the poem 'Kishamia' ('The Blanket'), composed by Sharif Mwenye Mansab (1828–1922), a poet and Arab religious scholar born in Lamu. A modern vocal performance of the poem can be listened to on Ustadh Yusuf Shosi's YouTube channel, showing the enduring relevance of Swahili literature and its new forms of adaptations via digital outlets. 

 

Listeners called in during the programme posing several questions about Swahili literary forms, topics and origins, and the role of Swahili in the world today was discussed. For listeners, the way non-native speakers study and value Swahili appeared to be fascinating.

 

The radio programme is run by Mahadhi Alfan Kale, whose TikTok account is Mahadhi Kale_journalist.

 

Listen to the programme via Soundcloud (item starts at 2'20 with a song).