History 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…

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…