Kiswahili Poetic Aesthetics: From the General Identities to the African Prodigy

Abstract

This article assesses the evolving Kiswahili poetry aesthetics and argues that the art is an African prodigy. It evaluates the arguments of both the conservatives and the liberals in the debate and asserts that the identities which the two camps tend to front are tenuous considering that they straddle the general and the specific. Based on the constructionist theory, the artide analyses the standpoints of the con­servatives and the liberals in the debate and contends that they reveal three subsets of identities: the Swahili, the Africans and the universal. The artide unearths the various methods that have been employed to ascribe Kiswahili poetry to such identities and argues that they mainly derive from some generalised and unstable postulations - facets such as historical epochs, orality and literacy, geography, language, literature, social class, religion and gender. By referring to the same facets, while also taking into account Kiswahili's poetry medium of dissemination, its authors and consumers, functionality, aesthetics and locality, the article asserts that
the art is after all an African genius.

Opsomming

In hierdie artikel word die ontwikkeling van die Kiswahili poetiese estetika geevalueer en word aangevoer dat dit 'n Afrika-wonder is. Die argumente van die konserwatiewes en die liberales in die debat word beoordeel en daar word beweer dat die identiteite wat die twee kampe voorhou aanvegbaar is omdat hulle sowel die algemene as die spesifieke omvat. Al die standpunte van die konserwatiewes en die liberales in die debat word op grond van die konstruksieteorie ontleed, en daar word aangevoer dat hulle op drie subidentiteitsgroepe berus, naamlik die Swahili, die Afrikane en die universele. In die artikel word verskeie metodes blootgele waar­volgens die Kiswahili-digkuns aan sodanige identiteite toegeskryf word. Daar word aangetoon dat hulle grotendeels op veralgemenings en ongegronde veronder­stellings berus - ender meer historiese tydvak, oraliteit, geletterdheid, geografie, taal, letterkunde, stand, godsdiens en gender. Deur vermelding van hierdie aspekte en met inagneming van die verspreidingswyse van die Kiswahili-digkuns van Kis­wahili digters en verbruikers, asook van funksionaliteit, estetika en omgewing, word aangevoer dat die Kiswahili-digkuns inderdaad van 'n Afrika-genialiteit getuig.