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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