Fasihi Archives - Hiistoriya

Lesser-Known Heroes of The Pre-colonial Coast of Kenya

October 20, 2021April 21, 2022 by Samia Bwana

Samia Bwana

20th October is Mashujaa day in Kenya. On this day, Kenya celebrates heroes who have stood up for our country and the values of humanity and dignity that define our nation. Every year, I notice a massive gap in our celebrations. National media coverage rightfully recognizes freedom fighters who fought…

The Mysterious Kilua

February 6, 2021September 20, 2021 by Nasra O. Bwana

Nasra O. Bwana

The kilua or kiluwa (pl. Vilua/viluwa) is a small fragrant magnolia-like flower found on the East African coast. The flower’s tree is known as mlua, mkiluwa or muuwa by the Swahili and mlua, mrua, mchilua, and chingade by the Digo1. They are quintessentially East African. Kilua flowers have six yellow-green…

Vidaka

January 27, 2021March 5, 2021 by Hawa Noor

Hawa Noor

Vidaka/Zidaka (singular: kidaka/idaka)1 are small niches carved into the walls of stone structures. Vidaka comes from the root word daka, which translates into niche or indentation. Daka is also the name for the front porch in Swahili stone homes, which were nooks by the main entrance where male guests were…

Limestone vs. Tiles: Changing Swahili Aesthetics Through The Eyes of Master Craftsmen

January 3, 2021March 21, 2022 by Hawa Noor

Hawa Noor

Ahmed Yusuf Suleiman is one of the most sought-after Swahili plasterwork artists and a well-known building contractor on the East African coast. One afternoon in his hometown, Lamu, he gave me a tour of his ongoing contracts, describing the ancient methods that he’s mastered. The majority of his clients are…

The Art of Swahili Cooking

December 13, 2020March 21, 2022 by Nasra O. Bwana

Nasra O. Bwana

Swahili cuisine is a diverse and flavourful culmination of inter-community exchange, exploration, and conquest. It is a tangible result of the East African coast’s connection to surrounding communities, from the nearest towns to far-flung corners of the Indian Ocean world. The connections have resulted in the adaption of recipes from…

Was there ever a Kiswahili word for ‘Holy’?

August 23, 2020September 20, 2021 by Nasra O. Bwana

Nasra O. Bwana

‘The available evidence suggests that in the mid-nineteenth century, at the second coming of European-Christians to the East African coast, there was no lexical equivalent for ‘holy’ or its near-synonym ‘sacred’ in the spoken language of the Swahili people.’Frankl, P. J. L., and Yahya Ali Omar (1999) When looking for…

Mwana Darini’s Siwa

July 13, 2020September 20, 2021 by Nasra O. Bwana

Nasra O. Bwana

Between the 17th and 19th centuries, rulers of city-states on the East African coast used the Siwa as a symbol of authority. The Siwa was a large royal horn made of ivory, metal or wood. (more…)