Swahili is an East African Bantu language spoken by at least 50 millionpeople, mostly as a second language, predominantly in the countries of Tanzania,Kenya, Uganda, and eastern Zaire. Most speakers in Tanzania and Kenya acquire Swahili as a second language,being native speakers of other African languages. There isa growing number of first language speakers, however, in the urban areasof East Africa, where multi-ethnic communities prevail. While it is StandardSwahili, a dialect based on Kiunguja of Zanzibar Town, which is bestknown and studied, and which has spread throughout eastern Africa and whichclearly is the form of the language that the future of the language restswith, there are other dialects of the language which have received lessattention, but which loom large in cultural and historical importance. Poetry and Swahili Society .
Poetry has for a long time playeda central role in Swahili society.
Furthermore, a great deal of poetry iscomposed in nonstandard dialects which have been neglected in most studyprograms in this country and abroad. Swahili poetry is also stylisticallycomplicated and unfamiliar, largely because it has been unstudied and leftto specialists and to the Swahili, for whom the tradition is central. Another result will beto make this rich tradition accessible to our students and other Africanistswho are interested in the culture, history, and society of the Swahili. The Swahili Canon . The body of Swahili poetry is large and growing.