Literature of Kenya

Kenyan literature describes literature which comes from the African country of Kenya. Kenya has a long oral and written literary tradition, primarily in English and Swahili, the two official languages of the country.

One of the best known pieces of Kenyan literature is "Utendi wa Tambuka", which translates to "The Story of Tambuka". Written by a man named Mwengo at the court of the Sultan of Pate, the epic poem is one of the earliest known documents in Swahili, being written in the year 1141 of the Islamic calendar, or 1728 A.D.

African literature had long been an exclusively oral tradition, and the writing down of stories only began with European colonization.

Important Kenyan writers include Muyaka bin Haji al-Ghassaniy, Kupona Mwana, Grace Ogot, Asenath Odaga, Meja Mwangi, Hilary Ngweno, Margaret Ogola and R. Mugo Gatheru. Probably the most well known Kenyan author is Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o.

Thiong'o's first novel, "Weep Not, Child", was the first novel in English to be published by an East African. Undoubtedly, Thiong'o is best known for his novel, "A Grain of Wheat".

ee also

*Swahili literature
*English literature
*Culture of Kenya
*Music of Kenya

External links

* [http://qcpages.qc.cuny.edu/ENGLISH/Projects/postcol/country/kenya/literatu.html Literature of Kenya]
* [http://www.afrol.com/articles/10489 Kenyan Catholics strike against African literature]
* [http://www.africa.upenn.edu/NEH/kfolklore.htm Kenyan folklore]