SWAHILI culture is one that is unique. It is the product of the influence of the Middle
East, India and Persia on the coastal region . The coast of East Africa had a
long history of trade that involved exchange of ideas and commodities. Also
mixed marriages between of African women and Middle Eastern men created and
cemented a rich Swahili culture.
Thus the diversity of Swahili culture was a result of the
interaction of the coastal people with foreigners in ancient times around the
small coastal strip in Dar es Salaam, Lamu, Zanzibar and Mombasa. It is very
interesting for travelers and tourists since their uniqueness cannot be compared
to other cultures in Africa. Jovago Tanzania mentions
some peculiar features which make it distinctive.
Language - Swahili people use “Kiswahili” as their common
language, it’s the language that binds people together. The interactions during
the coastal trade and colonialism made the language grow by borrowing words
from other languages.
Artifacts and crafts - Swahili people use various skills
to express themselves in artistic forms which include furniture and
architecture. The designs are said to be in form of geometry and the crafts
specifically Kanga is quite enchanting. It is not just a rectangular
piece of cloth but also an artifact of the Swahili culture.
Women with a khanga
Music - The outstanding emblematic music genre of the Swahili culture is
taarab or taarab, which is mostly sung in the language. The melodies and
orchestration have Arab and Indian influences.
During the 20th century, several musical styles have
emerged in the Swahili world. A good example is the infusion of ‘Dansi’ derived
from Congolese soukous (rumba) and some elements of Afro-pop
Old taarab in Zanzibar
Food; Ugali and chips yai are the very popular food in most of tribes,
Ugali can be eaten with stewed or roasted meat especially at home but chips yai
is the easiest food to buy at restaurants.
Ugali
Recreation - Holiday celebrations are the most important
forms of leisure, at the end of the year most people like to travel to their
local village for the purpose of greeting their relatives and ancestors
But also, nowadays some families like to plan for tour instead of
going to the village, popular places like Zanzibar, Arusha, Tanga, and Morogoro are great
historical sites, and Dar es Salaam for beaches
and enjoying big hotels in town.
Time - This is very interesting, Swahili time can’t be compared with
others, most tourists may get confused by this, when Swahili people say
it is 3 am that means it is actually 9am.
Greetings - The general greeting is ‘mambo, jambo, and
habari’ and the reply is Salama, but for the Muslims like to use the Arabic
world “Asalaam Aleikhum”. Nevertheless, children are supposed to greet their
elders with respect by touching the forehead or kissing the elder’s hand.
Transport; Many people use bajaji , motorcycle or
dalala for the public transport in Dar es Salaam, but also Tanga and
Zanzibar like to use bicycle, and few of them use daladala .
Bajaji in Dar es Salaam.
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