The Swahili People and Their Language discusses ways in which the Swahili people came to occupy a prominent position in the world’s trading system and how they lost their wealth through their contact with the outside world. The book highlights the strategic position occupied by the Swahili people, their natural resources, their skills and their rich cultural mix and how the contact with the outside world played a major influence that is clearly noticeable to date.  The book contributes to the on-going discussion about Africans and their participation in today’s development and reminds readers that the creation of the current economic, social and political situation of the Swahili people mirrors the history and positioning of many other formerly independent societies that became colonized nation-states. The authors provide discussions that shade light on critical questions such as: Who are the Swahili people and why are they important? Is there such a thing as a Swahili Civilization? If so, what is it and how does it relate to modern civilization? What place does the Swahili language occupy both in its history and usage on the continent and in the rest of the world?

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Dr. Dainess Maganda is the Director of the African Languages Program at the University of Georgia. She teaches Swahili language and culture in the Comparative Literature Department. She has published articles on language ideologies and on pathways to promote the use of African languages in schools in the US and internationally. Her publications include, “Through His Eyes: How Culturally Relevant Texts Impacts Reading Experience,” and “Using Literacy Practices to Promote Positive Perspectives of African Languages.” She is also a poet, notable for published poems such as, “Who am I”.

 

Dr. Lioba Moshi is a distinguished University Professor and the head of Comparative Literature Department at the University of Georgia, USA. She teaches Linguistics and Swahili in the USA and has also taught Swahili in Tanzania and England. She is the author of a number of publications including “Democracy and Culture: an African perspective (Co-edited), and the Pedagogy of African Languages: An Emerging Field (Co-edited,)” She has also developed a series of videos and online teaching materials to help students learn the Swahili language and culture.