For centuries, the east coast of Africa was a pass connecting the Arab world, the mainland of Africa and the rest of the Indian Ocean.
Merchants, sailors, and explorers from the Arabian Peninsula and the Far East took advantage of the monsoons to sail to the eastern coast of Africa between December and March of each year for the purpose of trade;
While they were taking advantage of the reversal of winds to return home between April and September.
In a report published by the British Middle East Eye website, writer Vivi Bat-Hiff said that these meetings contributed to the exchange of ideas, the blending of languages, and the cross-fertilization of cultures and religions.
Literature in this region has benefited from Persian, Arab and African influences, which blend to reflect the historical character and the vibrant archipelago of cultures.
The author indicated that the first works of Swahili literature were written in Arabic script.
Most of the classic Swahili works in poetry and prose have been transmitted orally, and are still mostly unpublished.
Contemporary literary works by writers from the East Coast of Africa, which focus on figures embodying coastal Islamic identity, are still not widespread compared to works found in inland capitals.
Over the past two decades, literary works have seen a new revival thanks to writers from this region who have a lot to say about their community life and experiences.
Below are contemporary novels, short stories, and poetry collections by East African authors.
Each literary work deals with current issues, including discrimination on the basis of skin color, immigration and religious intolerance, while also reflecting the historical fabric of the East and Islam that connects this region.
Dragonfly Sea by Yavon Adhiambo Or
The novel "Dragonfly Sea" (released in 2019) by Kenyan author Yavon Ur tells the story of the heroine Ayanna on Bat Island, who, due to her birth out of wedlock, became the object of contempt from the islanders.
In her search for her biological father, the young woman Ayanna watched, in hiding among the trees of the coastal grove, what the monsoons brought from visitors to her small island, without finding the father she had longed to see.
In the end, she chose a sailor named Muhyiddin to be her adoptive father, and as soon as Mohiuddin begins the role of teacher and “the father trying to fill the father's still lost void,” a bond is created between them.
The novel "The Dragon's Sea" discusses social issues in terms that include the Arabic language (Al-Jazeera)
However, the stability that Ayan was living in temporarily began to falter, as the temporary family began to collapse with the growing crowds of anti-island forces and the rise of religious extremism, not to mention the harsh approach taken by Kenya in dealing with innocent citizens of marginalized Muslim communities against the background of the "comprehensive war on terror." ".
Ur ranges from Swahili, Arabic, Mandarin and Turkish phrases in her book.
Overall, the book is based on a mixture of cultures and traditions, and explores the ocean as a source of memory between East Africa, the Middle East and the Far East.
Petrified Heart, by the writer Abdul Razzaq Jarna
The novel "The Petrified Heart" (released in 2017) is about the experience of immigrants and the trauma between generations, but primarily it tells the painful story of the breakdown of a family and the tense relationship between a father and his son.
The story revolves around the protagonist, Selim, whose life is turned upside down when his father suddenly packed his belongings and left the house, renting a small room in the back of a store and isolated with himself, and Selim did not get any explanation from his father or mother about what was really happening.
"The Petrified Heart" sheds light on the post-colonial era and the Zanzibar revolution that overthrew the Arab rule of the country (Al-Jazeera)
Selim tries to solve this puzzle throughout childhood and adulthood.
Then he decides to travel to England to study under his uncle's sponsorship.
But his sense of homelessness and lack of belonging is multiplied there, and he suffers from deep sadness.
He even was sending his mother cheerful letters, covering up his harsh reality in England.
The novel sheds light on the subject of intergenerational trauma in the post-colonial period, with the background of the revolution that broke out in Zanzibar in 1964 that resulted in the overthrow of the Sultan and his Arab government by the African revolutionaries.
In general, he presents a study of the personality of the personality through complex family dynamics, national politics in Zanzibar post-independence and the diaspora experience, and explains how restrictions on the micro and macro levels affect the characters of his novel.
Kafir Qartala, by Muhammad Twaihiri
After learning that his days are numbered after being diagnosed with cancer, the protagonist of the comoric protagonist, Dr. Eddie Mazamba, begins a romantic relationship with a French Jewish woman as a way to rebel against the social norms and prejudices that have always restricted his life and his homeland.
The writer said that the writing style of the novel is very aggressive, as Touaihiri attacks all levels of Comorian society, from the weak individual through the irresponsible society, to the repressive state, through black comedy.
The writer stated that Tuhairi is known for his career in the diplomatic corps, and held the position of permanent representative of the Comoros at the United Nations, and has long criticized issues such as European colonialism, misappropriation of public property from state coffers, misogyny and discrimination based on the color of the skin prevailing in the country and the way European colonialism is spreading, not to mention For violating the principles of Islam.
Touhiri skillfully manipulates the word "infidel" in the title, which can mean "unbeliever" as referred to in the Qur'an, and is also a derogatory term for black Africans.
Touhiri highlights the protagonist's disappointment with the dealings of Muslims in the Comoros, as well as the anti-blackness and ethnic differences in the islands and in many regions of Africa.
In a country that values the group over the individual, where non-compliance with community values and belonging can lead to social and psychological isolation, Eddie's choice to get rid of the interconnected community characteristic of Swahili society, along with his courage as a black man to take on a white mistress, was an attempt to embody an "infidel." In the fullest sense of the word.
The naming of the dawn, by Abd al-Rahman and Abiri
In the poetry collection “Naming the Dawn,” Abd al-Rahman Waberi, the most famous contemporary writer from Djibouti in East Africa, reminds us that “law is not the path that leads to the source,” an appeal to those who misinterpret religious texts and offer rigid and extremist interpretations.
Instead, he asks us to make the "passion for truth and beauty associated with the heart" the principles that guide us as we work our way through the various stages of human life.
Abdul Rahman Waberi's "Naming the Dawn" poems deal with religious insights and ancient Arab heritage (Al-Jazeera)
In Waberi poetry, the reader intercepts excerpts from the stories of the prophets and lessons from the Qur’an, and references to classic literary stories such as interstellar lovers such as Majnoun Layla.
It also offers a touch of loyalty to poets of the past, presenting a collection of powerful historical and cultural echoes between his homeland, Djibouti, "a country familiar with a changing existence" and the Middle East.
Waberi sews his words softly and softly, elevating his style to a mixture of spirituality and philosophy, heals wounds, warms the heart, opens the soul, and fills the inner void with light.
"Crossed Bones" by the Somali writer Noureddine Farah
The site's listing includes a novel telling the story of the hero Jibla, who, nearly 12 years after his last visit, returned to the Somali capital Mogadishu to see his old friends accompanied by his son-in-law Malik, a journalist interested in covering the growing political unrest in the Somali capital.
Somali writer Noureddine Farah tells a painful story in his war-torn country (Al-Jazeera)
However, the first thing they encounter was not the chaos they anticipated but the agonizing calm imposed by the ubiquitous white-clad characters armed with whips.
Meanwhile, Malik's brother arrives in the restive Puntland region in search of his stepdaughter, who appears to have been recruited by the Somali rebels.
Meanwhile, the brothers will be forced to delve into the social fabric of a country on the brink of internal collapse and on the verge of turning into a battlefield in an effort to reject an invasion by Ethiopian forces.
It is worth noting that Farah, a prominent candidate for the Nobel Prize for Literature, paints in this wonderful novel an image that, despite its strong critical character, has managed to humanize the complexities of the region permanently torn by violence, corruption, poverty and intolerance.
“Today is better than tomorrow,” by Nadine Gordimer
The site touched on the novel "Today is Better Than Tomorrow", which tells the story of a mixed family from a neighborhood in Johannesburg, South Africa, from the 1990s until the end of 2009.
After the fall of apartheid, the hopes of most citizens for a better world were not fulfilled, as democracy and the abolition of apartheid did not achieve the best results that every citizen aspires to. On the contrary, corruption has increased and social inequality has become the new backbone of the country.
Nevertheless, the novel promotes hope and assures that a better world can be built.
The work of the South African novelist classifies Gordimer as having an anti-racist human rights character (Al Jazeera)
Despite the banning of the novel in South Africa, Gordimer had a distinguished relationship with the Arab world and Arab culture. She had a close relationship with the late Naguib Mahfouz, and was interested in his work. She wrote the introduction to the English translation of his book "Autobiographical Echoes", as well as her advocacy for the Palestinian cause and her invitation to find A solution that guarantees the rights of the Palestinian people, even if they are accused of attending the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of "the founding of Israel."