A Safari of Swahili Daily Life

By FANUEL MLENGE
Published July 14, 2009

While safari is one of the most widely known Swahili contribution to the world languages, the Kiswahili speakers are, of late, putting on show ‘encoded’ Swahili messages as they travel out and about daily facing Africa’s fair (or is it unfair?) share of troubles and struggles of life.

“Msitu ni mpya, nyani ni walewale wa zamani” (‘The forest is new, yet the monkeys are the very same erstwhile ones’) is big text scribbled behind a daladala (public transport) bus. It is hard to know to whom this message is addressed, or the ‘decoded’ meaning of the message itself. But this message was spotted at a time of hiked fuel and food prices plus day-long electricity rationing, a few months after Tanzania swore-in a new Government. During the campaigns, the new government used the motto; “ari mpya, kasi mpya, nguvu mpya” meaning; new zeal, new speed and new vigour.

The Swahili people, or Waswahili as they are locally known, inject fun into even most trying times, as they struggle for existence; mere existence, let alone survival, and who dare say something about living? The Waswahili place messages on the non-motorised tricycles popularly known as guta on bicycles mud-guards, on push-carts (mikokoteni), the daladalas and their genges – small stalls for informal business of farm produce.

Sort of Waswahili have resigned to their fate or that they have rather understood things are never going to be easy as a text on a guta states, “Kila kukicha, afadhali ya jana” (‘At dawn of every day, yesterday was better’). The Waswahili remain largely at the mercy of a renegade private sector as the state’s participation in business is becoming less and less thanks to policies encouraged by ‘development partners’ from the northwest.

May be it is also a reflection of the instability of Tanzanian currency, Shilingi, whose value goes down, never to appreciate. The currency is in free-fall trend of which has gathered momentum in recent years and with it, the increase in prices of essential goods while incomes remain same at best, making life for Waswahilli even harder.

“Ni kweli lakini hayakuhusu” (‘True, but none of your business’) message has been around for quite a while on push-carts and daladalas. What is it that is true and yet is none of anyone’s business? You bet.

There is again that one that says “Ukicheza ugenini, usiogope kuzomewa!” (if you play an away game you should not be concerned with spectators booing). Is the message strictly referring to sports? Or do Waswahili have some statement to send? You never know. No wonder some of the daladala texts are scribbled in English “message sent” or “message delivered.” Again, someone soon finds “wrong number” placard on yet another daladala and wonder whether this is a reply to the “message sent” or not. Despite millions of speakers of Kiswahili, almost all brands of telephones do not have Kiswahili interface and the Waswahili have to contend with using English interfaces in their phones.

A few of these sayings do find their way to contemporary Kiswahili. “Mtu mzima hatishiwi nyau” (An adult will laugh it off if one threatens to unleash a cat) is one of these or ”Msafara wa mamba, kenge pia wamo” (In a convoy of crocodiles, there are also monitor-lizards) have become quite common in Kiswahili conversations.

If not those Swahili ‘Short Messages’, one will see names of football stars that play in Europe. Ronaldinho, Figo, Zidane, Rooney, Thiery Henry and Owen, for instance, are commonly scribbled on gutas and daladalas. Hardly a daladala or guta is seen with a name of a local sporting star.

Poor local performance in sports had put off a sizeable number of persons, more so as a result of no live television coverage of local sport. Throw into the mix incessant in-fighting within clubs and football associations, the result of which is that the population does seem to neither know nor care who are the ‘stars’ of the national teams.

For sure the subject of HIV and AIDS will not escape the attention of the Waswahili daily life. It started with a daladala message: “unaringa, umepima?” (‘You are showy, have you tested’?). At the time, many people would shun voluntary testing of HIV/AIDS, saying there is nothing they could do if found positive.

Sooner there came reply, again, on a daladala bus. “Kupima siyo tabu, kazi kuchukua majibu”(Testing is a breeze, the real thing is to taking the results). Not long, again there came “hata ukipima kufa utakufa tu” on another daladala (Even if you get tested, you are going to die all the same’) highlighting the stigma around HIV/AIDS in Tanzania, and the fact that a small proportion of persons living with HIV/AIDS have access to Anti-retroviral drugs that prolong healthy lives of those already infected. It also shows the apathy of common man on the street about all the money said to have been pumped into Africa to fight HIV/AIDS. Perception on the ground is that bulk of the money end up in ‘research and workshops’ as well as paying for ‘expatriates’ who come ‘to help Africa fight HIV/AIDS’, not reaching the intended persons – the ones living with HIV/AIDS.

“Kucheka na kulia zote ni kelele” (Laughing and crying are both noises) on a guta suppose that even though some few are ‘happy’ with high living standards, there are still problems that cut across the spectrum of all income earners.

“Ikiuma sema” (if it hurts speak it out) is the bottom line from yet another daladala.

Reach Fanuel Mlenge at editor@eafricainfocus.com