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What are Sabaki languages? How people formed ethnic groups along the coast of East Africa

What are Sabaki languages? How people formed ethnic groups along the coast of East Africa

A new book called Ethnicity, Identity and Conceptualizing Community in Indian Ocean East Africa tracks the history of the coastal communities of East Africa and how the Sabaki family of Bantu languages was formed, shaped in part by the sea and the arrival of visitors from other shores and within the continent. We asked historian Daren Ray to tell us more about his book for International Mother Language Day. DAREN RAY, Assistant Professor of History, Brigham Young University Which languages fall into the Sabaki family? Sabaki languages are a grouping of Bantu languages spoken near the east African coast. The…
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New Kiswahili science fiction award charts a path for African languages

New Kiswahili science fiction award charts a path for African languages

THE 6th edition of The Mabati Cornell Kiswahili Prize for African Literature, suspended last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is back. Founded in 2014, the prize recognises writing in African languages and encourages translation from, between and into African languages. Kiswahili is widely spoken across the east coast of Africa. This year’s prize also offers a special award designed to promote and popularise a Kiswahili vocabulary for technology and digital rights. We spoke to the prize founders – literary academic Lizzy Attree, also of Short Story Day Africa, and literature professor and celebrated author Mukoma Wa Ngugi – on…
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