| Swahili | English |
Kuno Kunena
Kuno kunena kwa nini, kukanikomeya kuno?
Kwani kunena kunani, kukashikwa kani vino?
Kani iso na kiini, na kuninuniya mno
Kanama nako kunena, kwaonekana ni kuwi
Kana na kuku kunena, kunenwa kakutakiwi
Kuna wanakokuona, kunena kwamba si kuwi
Kunena wakikuona, kukuita kawakawi
Kunena kana kwanuka, nikukome kukunena?
19 Julai 1970
Speaking Out Why has speaking out provoked my imprisonment? What therein compelled my confinement? Invalid insistence incited anger against me Apparently speaking out is viewed with contempt Speaking out may be distasteful to some Yet others do not regard it negatively Encountering each other, they hesitate not to embrace So if speaking out stinks, should I shut up? Translated by Kelly Askew and Abdilatif Abdalla, 30 October, 2014, Ann Arbor, MI
SIWATI Siwati nshishiyelo, siwati; kwani niwate? Siwati ni lilo hilo, ‘talishika kwa vyovyote Siwati ni mimi nalo, hapano au popote Hadi kaburini sote, mimi nalo tufukiwe Siwati ngaadhibiwa, adhabu kila mifano Siwati ningaambiwa, ‘tapawa kila kinono Siwati lililo sawa, silibanduwi mkono Hata ningaumwa meno, mkono siubanduwi Siwati si ushindani, mukasema nashindana Siwati ifahamuni, sababuye waungwana Siwati ndangu imani, niithaminiyo sana Na kuiwata naona, itakuwa ni muhali Siwati nimeradhiwa, kufikwa na kila mawi Siwati ningaambiwa, niaminiyo hayawi Siwati kisha nikawa, kama nzi; hivyo siwi Thamma nakariri siwi, na Mngu nisaidiya Abdilatif Abdalla 14 Machi, 1970 Kamiti Maximum Security Prison, Nairobi, Kenya
SIWATI (CONVICTION) I will not abandon it, that which I hold dear. Why should I abandon it? I will not abandon it. I'll hold fast to my conviction, come what may I will not abandon it, it and I will never part, here or anywhere 'Til in the same grave we are together buried. I will not abandon it, even if suffering all manner of punishment I will not abandon it, even if told that I'll be handsomely rewarded I will not abandon it, that which is right, my hand will not relinquish it Even if severely bitten, my hand will not let go. I will not abandon it. Think not that I am simply being stubborn I will not abandon it, O you people understand the reason why I will not abandon it, for this is my conviction, which I hold so dear And to abandon it, just like that, would be impossible. I will not abandon it, prepared I am to face every danger I will not abandon it, even if told I believe in fantasies I will not abandon it and then become like a fly – that I'll never be Indeed I repeat: that I'll never be. So help me God! Translated by Kelly Askew and Abdilatif Abdalla, Berlin, 2013
Mamba
Nami nambe, niwe kama waambao
Niupambe, upendeze wasomao
Niufumbe, wafumbuwe wawezao
Kuna mamba, mtoni metakabari
Ajigamba, na kujiona hodari
Yuwaamba, kwamba ‘taishi dahari
Memughuri, ghururi za kipumbavu
Afikiri, hataishiwa na nguvu
Takaburi, hakika ni maangavu
Akumbuke, siku yake ikifika
Roho yake, ajuwe itamtoka
Nguvu zake, kikomoche zitafika
Afahamu, mtu hajuwi la kesho
Hatadumu, angatumiya vitisho
Maadamu, lenye mwanzo lina mwisho
- 23 Machi 1970
Abdilatif Abdalla
Kamiti Maximum Security Prison, Nairobi, Kenya
Crocodile I too have words; I’ll join those already speaking; I’ll gild my verse so it pleases those who’re reading; Untwist these words, for their sense may be misleading. There’s a croc gliding smugly down the river, A boastful sop who believes he’s brave and clever. He loves to talk, tells the world he’ll live forever. With fool’s conceit he strings himself along, Sustains belief that he’ll always be this strong, But self-deceit and pride can only last so long. He should know, someday he’ll breathe his last. He too will go, once his die’s been cast. Time will show his power finally passed. What lies ahead none of us can comprehend; What fate has set, no show of fierceness can transcend. Don’t forget: what has a start must have an end. "Crocodile" by Abdilatif Abdalla - Words Without Borders; permission to re-publish the translation by Meg Arenberg granted by the translator.
About the Author
Abdilatif Abdalla is one of the most well-known and honored living Swahili poets. Born in Mombasa, Kenya in 1946, he grew up in a well-established family and received a classical education that included Islamic, poetic, and political knowledge. In 1969, after writing a pamphlet that was deemed critical of the dictatorial Jomo Kenyatta regime, entitled Kenya: Twendapi? (Kenya: where are we going?), he was arrested and imprisoned. He spent three years in a high-security prison from 1969 to 1972, most of that time in solitary confinement. During that period, he wrote what became his most famous work of poetry, Sauti ya Dhiki (Voice of Agony). He wrote the poems on toilet paper, and they were smuggled out of the prison. He has commented that writing this book helped him to keep his sanity while imprisoned. (1)
After Abdalla’s release from prison in 1972, he immediately went into exile. His first seven years in exile (1972-1979) were in Tanzania, where he was appointed Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Kiswahili Research, University of Dar es Salaam (2). Sauti ya Dhiki was published in 1973. Ironically, in 1974, he was awarded the Jomo Kenyatta Prize in Literature. This book was praised for covering a wide range of critical topics, including colonialism, racism, material greed, and social injustice. In 1977 he won the Saba-Saba Literary Award in 1977 (3).
In 1979 Abdalla moved to London to work for the BBC World Service as a broadcaster in the Kiswahili Department, until 1986. From 1986 to 1994 he was
Editor-in-Chief of the international current affairs monthly magazine on Africa, called Africa Events. He then taught Kiswahili Language and Literature at University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). (4)
In 1995 Abdalla moved to Germany to work as a Lecturer of Kiswahili Language and African Literature at the Institute of African Studies, University of Leipzig, until his retirement in 2011. (5)
Abdalla remains in Leipzig but travels frequently as an invited participant in many conferences and events. Although he did not write any additional poetry after Sauti ya Dhiki, he continues to write and lecture on the role of the poet in society. (6)
Evaluation of Abdalla’s poetry
His poetry is widely admired for its exceptional literary quality, and his ability to combine classical forms of Swahili poetry with modern topics. He often used metaphors to express his resistance in a way that might not be clear to his targets. (7)
In 2018 he was awarded the Fonlon-Nichols Award for Excellence in Creative Writing and Contributions to the Struggle for Human Rights and Freedom of Expression by the US-based African Literature Association. (8)
The three poems included in this exhibit were selected by the author to exemplify his message of resistance to unjust authority. The first poem, Kuno Kunena (Speaking Out), asks the question: why was I imprisoned? The second poem, Siwati (Conviction), is his answer. The third poem Mamba (Crocodile) uses the crocodile as a metaphor for Jomo Kenyatta, warning the dictator that he will die before Abdalla himself. (9)
Summary by Laura K. Murray
- https://baraza.cdrs.columbia.edu/abdilatif-abdalla-poet-and-political-activist/ accessed May 15, 2023
- Personal correspondence with Abdilatif Abdalla, dated May 24, 2023.
- https://baraza.cdrs.columbia.edu/abdilatif-abdalla-poet-and-political-activist/ accessed May 15, 2023
- Personal correspondence with Abdilatif Abdalla, dated May 24, 2023.
- Ibid.
- Abdilatif Abdalla: Poet in Politics, edited by Kai Kresse and Rose Marie Beck, Mkuki na Nyota Publisher, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, 2016, pp. 4. This book includes papers written for a 2011 conference that provides a deep dive into Abdilatif Abdalla’s life and work.
- Ibid., p. 5
- https://africanlit.org/the-fonlon-nichols-award/
- Personal correspondence with the Abdilatif Abdalla, dated May 12, 2023.
“Crocodile” by Abdilatif Abdalla – Words Without Borders; permission to re-publish the translation by Meg Arenberg granted by the translator in personal correspondence dated May 17, 2023.
Sources
Abdilatif Abdalla: Poet and Political Activist | Baraza. https://baraza.cdrs.columbia.edu/abdilatif-abdalla-poet-and-political-activist/. Accessed 14 May 2023.
Abdalla, Abdilatif. Teleconference with National Museum of Language. 9 May 2023.