The Swahili Free Verse Dispute: A Proposal for a Textual Approach Avoiding Culturalism

The aim of this paper is to make a contribution to the old but still vivid discussion on free verse Swahili poems and to suggest a textual approach that avoids culturalism. This approach is based on the ideas of Euphrase Kezilahabi and Ebrahim Hussein, who accuse critics of placing too much emphasis on cultural aspects or context. Kezilahabi and Hussein suggest a more holistic approach based on the aesthetics of the text. The dispute over free verse started in the late 1960s and still continues not only in academic writings, but also in harsh comments made by poets who write in a "traditional way" or scholars that I have had occasion to hear at conferences or during my fieldwork in Dar es Salaam.