
Best Kiswahili Set Books To Remember: Kiswahili Language Day Celebration
In Kenya, secondary school education was considered incomplete if one did not read Kiswahili (fasihi) books, also known as “Set books.”
They played an important role, and as we celebrate World Kiswahili Language Day, many Kenyans have reflected on the impact they had on their lives.
These books were intended to improve students’ knowledge and understanding of the Kiswahili language, as well as their creativity.
Kenyans will remember set books such as Kifo Kisimani, Utengano, Kidagaa Kimemwozea, and Mayai Waziri wa Maradhi, among others.
Kifo Kisimani, a Swahili play, was introduced in 2005 for Form Three and Form Four students nationwide, with a seven-year examinable coverage.
Kithaka wa Mberia, a linguistics and languages professor at the University of Nairobi, wrote it.
On the other hand, Utengano is a novel that deals extensively with social issues such as divorce, the plight of women in society, male chauvinism, politics, and forgiveness.
Said A. Mohamed, the author, depicts Kazija, a mistress of the wealthy politician and businessman Bwana Maksuudi, plotting to antagonize Maksuudi and his son, Mussa.
She is successful when she invites both her father and son to her home. Maksuudi and Mussa fight, which separates them.
Kazija performs these actions to avenge her friend’s daughter, Biti Sururu, Bi. Farashuu’s daughter.
Maksuudi once married her daughter, then battered and divorced her, leaving her poor and helpless, a drunkard, and eventually dying.
Mayai Waziri wa Maradhi na Hadithi Nyingine is a collection of short stories and Nouvelles inspired by events in East African communities, particularly along the Kenyan and Tanzanian coasts.
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It was written by K W Wamitila and depicted their experiences with jealousy, pride, drug abuse, greed for power, and other issues that are still present and relevant today.
Ken Walibora, a Kenyan author, wrote the Swahili novel Siku Njema. In 1996, the novel was released.
The book, written in the first person, follows the life of a young man, Msanifu Kombo, who is born in Tanga, Tanzania, and faces family hardships with his single mother, a talented taarab singer.
Being an illegitimate child does not make life any easier for him, as he is chastised by his classmates in a culture that frowns on illegitimate children.
Before the 2010s, other set books read in secondary schools included Siku Njema, Shamba la Wanyama, Visiki, Amezidi, and others.
Best Kiswahili Set Books To Remember: Kiswahili Language Day Celebration