A negative novel about Nyerere?
September 6, 2012 8:37 AM Subscribe
Swahili book filter: A Tanzanian, probably Zanzibari novel about Julius Nyerere or a character based on him, portrayed in a bad light.
A woman I stayed with in Zanzibar in 2007 was reading a novel in Swahili that she said was about Julius Nyerere and portrayed him in a bad light, perhaps alleging that he murdered a political rival. At the time Zanzibar had somewhat bad relations with the mainland and the book seemed to be edgy, scandalous or even separatist. It was a paperback book and I believe it was published in the 2000s but it might have been older - it certainly would have been more scandalous to criticize Nyerere in the 1990s. The title may have referenced hyenas or jackals. Any ideas? I'd really love it if there was an English translation but Swahili would be ok.
A woman I stayed with in Zanzibar in 2007 was reading a novel in Swahili that she said was about Julius Nyerere and portrayed him in a bad light, perhaps alleging that he murdered a political rival. At the time Zanzibar had somewhat bad relations with the mainland and the book seemed to be edgy, scandalous or even separatist. It was a paperback book and I believe it was published in the 2000s but it might have been older - it certainly would have been more scandalous to criticize Nyerere in the 1990s. The title may have referenced hyenas or jackals. Any ideas? I'd really love it if there was an English translation but Swahili would be ok.
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posted by MonkeyToes at 6:09 PM on September 14, 2012