BAD SWAHILI AND PIDGIN SWAHILI IN HEMINGWAY

Ernest Hemingway, Serengeti Plain, January 1934 (JFK Library)

For many years I've wanted to write something about 'bad Swahili', the mangled snippets of the language that appear with depresssing frequency in the works of otherwise literate European and American writers striving to add local spice to their fictional and factional accounts of life in East Africa. My principal inspiration was Ernest Hemingway's Green Hills of Africa, his lightly fictionalised account of a hunting safari in northern Tanganyika in early 1934. When I first read this book in Mombasa I was deeply unimpressed by its subject matter as well as the smattering of misspelled and ungrammatical Swahili that Hemingway used to colour his tale. Rather like the self-indulgent travel diaries of contemporary overlanders, it dwells too long on personal experiences and relationships, and caricatures Africans and their own relationship to the environment in which it is set. Instead my sympathies lie with the Austrian plantation manager 'Kandisky', who describes Hemingway's hunting as "this silliness of kudu" (2004a: 17) and invites him to "take a safari to study the natives" (2004a: 21). The real-life 'Kandisky', Hans Koritschoner, followed his own advice, and became the Tanganyika government sociologist Hans Cory, though commentators on Hemingway's book have generally missed this connection (e.g. Ondaatje 2003: 124-125).*

Researching a recent paper (see my post on Heritage, tourism, and slavery at Shimoni) brought me back to Hemingway, and a month ago I picked up a copy of Christopher Ondaatje's Hemingway in Africa (2003). Ondaatje's own mistranscribed Swahili ("Jumbo, habari, poleya safari") reminded me of Hemingway's, and I then bought new copies of the books that I'd left behind in Mombasa so that I could have another look. There certainly is some bad Swahili in Green Hills of Africa. Here are some of the misspelled words and phrases (all converted to lower case and italicised), with correct forms and glosses shown in parenthesis: b'wana (bwana, master), b'wana m'kumba (bwana mkubwa, big boss), doumi (dume, male), faro (faru, rhinoceros), manamouki (mwanamke, woman), m'uzuri (mzuri, good), n'dio (ndiyo, yes, it is), tarahalla (palahala, sable antelope), tendalla (tandala, kudu). Hemingway refers a number of times to his use of a dictionary when trying to communicate with Africans (2004a: 96, 115, 122, 129, 155, 156, 163, 165). This was probably A. C. Madan's English-Swahili Dictionary (first published in 1884), which is known to have been in Hemingway's library in 1941. Indeed the library list suggests that he may have owned two copies of it, or perhaps both the English-Swahili and Swahili-English volumes, the latter published in 1903 (Brasch and Sigman 2000: 238, No. 4147). Madan was a reliable source, and his work provided the foundation for Frederick Johnson's A Standard Swahili-English Dictionary (1939), which Hemingway obtained later, together with other works on Swahili. If Hemingway had used Madan then he shouldn't have made so many mistakes. But on his own account he couldn't always find the words that he was looking for, and he may well have misheard some of the terms that his hunting companions used, including the place names and other proper nouns that he also gets wrong. The insertion of an apostrophe to denote syllabic nasals in word-initial position (m'- and n'-) was once a relatively common practice, and Hemingway may well have picked this up from other sources. In his later story 'The Snows of Kilimanjaro' (2004b) it's notable that he (or his editor) gets the transcription of Bwana right.

Hemingway's hunting party, February 1934 (JFK Library)

So much for Hemingway's mistakes. More interesting, perhaps, is the evidence that Hemingway was reflecting contemporary Swahili usage, and in particular the pidginised variety of Swahili sometimes referred to as Kiset(t)la, the simplified idiom used by European settlers to communicate with their African employees, and vice versa. In his study of Kisetla, linguist Anthony Vitale declared that "The African novels of Hemingway (e.g., The Green Hills of Africa) and Robert Ruark (e.g., Uhuru, Something of Value) abound with utterances in KiSetla" (1980: 65, fn. 9). In Hemingway's case this is something of an exaggeration - most single Swahili words that he uses can't be construed as belonging to any specific idiom - but there are some words and phrases in his text that can be identified as typical Kisetla forms. These include lack of proper noun class prefixes and agreements (Wakamba instead of Kikamba, the Kamba language; manamouki kubwa sana instead of mwanamke mkubwa sana, or preferably jike kubwa sana, very large female), the use of hapana as a generalised negative (hapana m'uzuri for si nzuri, it's no good), and use of the simple imperative as a generalised verb form (piga for amepigwa, s/he's hit; piga m'uzuri for mpigie vizuri, hit him/her properly). These words and phrases are put in the mouths of both the European narrator and his African companions, suggesting a shared usage. Indeed Hemingway was well aware that he was using a pidginised Swahili, and makes this explicit when he writes: "I got the dictionary out of my pocket and made a sentence in pigeon Swahili" (2004a: 96), 'pigeon' being a variant of the now more common linguistic term 'pidgin'.

Hemingway's first East African safari took place in the decade that the existence of Kisetla and related Swahili pidgins in Kenya was first brought to general attention. A translation of the Gospel of Mark into 'Kitchen Swahili' was published 1931. A humorous article on 'Kisettla' ("by J. W.") was printed in the East African Standard in 1932 and later circulated as an illustrated pamphlet. In 1933 a language teaching manual was written for the King's African Rifles, using the soldiers' own idiom which is referred to variously as KiKAR, Kikeya, and Kivita (Newell 1933; Mutonya and Parsons 2004). The first of many editions of F. H. Le Breton's Up-Country Swahili Exercises for the Soldier, Settler, Miner, Merchant, and their Wives was published in 1936. Although it didn't pretend to describe Kisetla, it did reproduce many of its best-known features, including those mentioned above and others, such as the the generalised use of mingi to mean 'many'. This was no doubt the kind of Swahili spoken between the Kenya-based Europeans and Africans in the Hemingways' party, as well as the up-country Tanganyikans that they came across who were also able to converse in the pidginised lingua franca. Snatches of it embellish films made in East Africa from this time onwards, including the Hollywood movies inspired by Hemingway's own work (Carrier 2010). And despite the inroads made by modern education and the media, something like it can still be heard in up-country Kenya and in particular settings elsewhere in East Africa. It is used, for example, by some Asian shop-keepers when addressing their African staff and customers, and is frequently caricatured. Even Christopher Ondaatje slips into pidgin practice when he reports saying "Pole kusumbua, wewe", translated as "Sorry for causing you trouble" (2003: 108). The meagre literature on Swahili pidgins refers to different varieties, including Kihindi, Kishamba, and others already mentioned above. But these remain largely unresearched, and it may be that they are best thought of as a continuum of forms with a common core. And I haven't touched on Hemingway's second trip and later writings about Africa. Hii ni kazi mingi sana, mimi hapana taka fanya sasa.

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* In his family history, written in 1956, Hans Cory referred to his encounter with the Hemingways and his appearance in Green Hills of Africa: "I am Kandinsky [sic], and though the conversation did not take place exactly as quoted, the events happened as described, and the breakdown of my lorry, etc. is true. Hemingway and his wife were very kind to me. I was their guest for three days, and we had many amusing and interesting conversations."

Acknowledgements
My thanks to Helle Goldman and Ray Abrahams for sharing their own thoughts and experiences of bad and pidgin Swahili with me, and to Neil Carrier for the additional inspiration provided by his recent workshop paper and presentation on the use and abuse of Swahili in Hollywood movies. The usual disclaimer applies.

References

Brasch, James D. and Joseph Sigman 2000 [1981]. Hemingway's Library: A Composite Record (electronic edition). Boston: John F. Kennedy Library.

Carrier, Neil 2010. Kiswahili Hollywood style: linguistic use and abuse in the movies. Paper presented to 
the VIII European Swahili Workshop, Contemporary Issues in Swahili Ethnography, University of Oxford, 19-21 September 2010.

Cory [Koritschoner], Hans 1956. Our Family Chronicles. Online in the archive of The Institute on World War II and the Human Experience, Florida State University.

Hemingway, Ernest 2004a [1935]. Green Hills of Africa. London: Arrow Books.

Hemingway, Ernest 2004b [1936]. The Snows of Kilimanjaro. In Hemingway, E. The Snows of Kilimanjaro. London: Arrow Books.

Le Breton, F. H. 1951 [1936]. Up-Country Swahili Exercises for the Soldier, Settler, Miner, Merchant, and their Wives and for all who deal with up-country natives without interpreters (11th edition). Richmond, Surrey: R. W. Simpson and Co.

Madan, Arthur Cornwallis 1884. English-Swahili Dictionary. Oxford.

Madan, Arthur Cornwallis 1903. Swahili-English Dictionary. Oxford.

Mutonya, Mungai and Timothy H. Parsons 2004. KiKAR: a Swahili variety in Kenya's colonial army. Journal of African Languages and Linguistics 25: 111-125.

Newell, H. W. 1933. Notes on Ki-Swahili as Spoken by the K.A.R.. Manuscript in the Kenya National Archives, Nairobi. [cited in Mutonya and Parsons 2004: 125]

Ondaatje, Christopher 2003. Hemingway in Africa: The Last Safari. Toronto: HarperCollins.

Vitale, Anthony J. 1980. Kisetla: linguistic and sociolinguistic aspects of a pidgin Swahili of Kenya. Anthropological Linguistics 22 (2): 47-65.

Wilkes, Hamilton Paget (translator) 1931. Habari Njema: kama aliandikwa kwa mkona [sic] ya Mariko. London: British and Foreign Bible Society.

W., J. Undated [1932.] Kisettla. (Pamphlet.) [Nairobi:] The East African Standard. [some sources give the reference as The Kenya Weekly News, 23 December 1955, 24-25.]

THE LIFE OF PERA RIDHIWANI, Swahili poet, teacher and scholar

Swahili text by Pera Ridhiwani, introduced by Martin Walsh

[Pera Ridhiwani (1917-97) was a poet, teacher and scholar, a friend and colleague of Shaaban Robert and other twentieth century writers and politicians from Tanga and the Mrima coast. Ridhiwani did not achieve fame himself as a poet, but late in life enjoyed a wide reputation as a scholar, conducting his own research as well as helping many other researchers visiting Tanga. For almost a decade (1980-89) he was employed by the Institute of Kiswahili Research in the University of Dar es Salaam transcribing Swahili manuscripts written in Arabic script, and some of this work has been published in the Institute’s journal Kiswahili. Ridhiwani’s longest and most important piece of research, however, remains unpublished. This is his Habari za Kale za Kabila la Wasegeju, a history of his own ethnic group, the Segeju.

Ridhiwani completed his Segeju history in 1980, but it was rejected by publishers in Dar es Salaam. When I first met Ridhiwani in Mombasa in 1991 he appeared bearing the only copy of the 56 page typescript that remained in his possession. Over the next year we explored the possibility of publishing the Swahili text together with an English translation and commentary, and I made a start on this work, asking Ridhiwani to expand some of his references and clarify other details in the text. I also asked him to provide me with basic information about his own life that could be included in an introduction to the edited history. In return Ridhiwani gave me the typed autobiographical outline that I have reproduced below. This had evidently been written some years before, not long after Ridhiwani had finished his Segeju history and at a time when he believed it to be progressing smoothly towards publication.

It is unlikely that Ridhiwani intended this chronological sketch of his life and work to be published as it stands. Unfortunately other work took me away from our joint project and I did not take the opportunity to go through it with him before his death in August 1997. An obituary of Ridhiwani by M. M. Mulokozi that was published in Kiswahili in 1997 and that has since been copied onto the internet is apparently based on the same autobiographical text, with details of his work at the Institute of Kiswahili Research added. Ridhiwani’s own unpolished record of his working life has therefore become an important source, and one that I think is worth reproducing in full. The following Swahili text is a transcription of the eight page typescript that Ridhiwani gave to me in 1991. I have made minor typographical changes (for example replacing underlining with italics and removing paragraph indents) but retained the original spelling including the misspelling of some English and proper names. I have also prepared an annotated English translation of Ridhiwani’s text, but this still requires some work before being submitted for publication.]

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Pera Ridhiwani

Nilizaliwa Mnyanjani katika kitongoji kilichoko umbali wa maili tatu kusini mashariki ya mji wa Tanga.

Nilianza masomo yangu katika shule ya msingi mnamo mwaka 1927 katika kitongoji nilichokitaja. Nilikuwa mmoja wa waanzilishi wa shule hii mpya ambayo ilifungwa kwa muda mrefu baada ya vita kuu ya kwanza 1914-1918.

Mnamo mwaka 1929 nilichaguliwa kwenda Central School Tanga (ambayo sasa ni Secondary School) huko niliingizwa darasa la tatu (standard III). Niliendelea na masomo yangu mpaka standard VI ambayo kwa wakati ule lilikuwa darasa la ukomo katika shule zote za Tanganyika.

Sikuwahi kufanya mtihani wa kupata Leaving Certificate kwa sababu wenzangu nilioanza nao masomo kule Mnyanjani na kuingia nao katika Central School Tanga walikwisha jichagulia kazi za namna mbali mbali, wengi wao walijichagulia kwenda Teachers Training College Mpwapwa. Nilijiona nitapatwa na kivumvu cha upweke wa mazoea, hivyo kwa ghafla niliomba kwa Headmaster nami niwemo katika orodha ya wanafunzi wa Mpwapwa. Alinikubalia.

Mwaka 1933 tarehe 24 June, nilianza kufika Mpwapwa. Kwa vile ambavyo nilikwisha endelea kimasomo kule nilikotoka, niliingizwa darasa la saba. Hapa ndipo mwanzo wa kupata mafunzo ya Ualimu.

Toka mwaka ule wa 1933 niliishi Mpwapwa kwa kupata mafunzo ya ualimu ambayo yalikuwa na sehemu nyingi lakini kubwa ni tatu. Kwanza kufundishwa wewe mwenyewe kwa kuongezwa ilimu yako. Pili, kufundishwa namna ya kuwafundiha watoto masomo mbali mbali pamoja na jinsi ya kulitawala darasa. Tatu, jinsi ya kuweka na kuhifadhi vitabu mbali mbali vya kumbukumbu za shule. Kwa kawaida masomo yetu yote yalisomeshwa kwa lugha ya Kiswahili, kwa sababu shabaha ni kuwaelimisha wananchi wanoishi vijijini na mijini katika shule za Msingi. Masomo ya Ualimu yalichukua mfululizo wa muda wa miaka mitatu. Kwa kuweka wazi na kusema, “tangu mwaka 1933-1936”. Katika mtihani wa mwisho nilioufanya mwaka 1936 mwishoni niliushinda na kupata hidaya ya cheti changu ambacho ni daraja la pili (Grade B). Shule hii zama hizo ilikuwa ni ya wanafunzi wa Grade B tu.

Mwanzoni January, 1937 nilianza wadhifa wa kufundisha nikiwa Mwalimu wa daraja la pili. Shule yangu ya kwanza ilikuwa Mwanza Town katika mkoa wa Ziwa. Hapa sikukaa sana. Katikati ya mwaka huo, yaani June, 1937 nilipata uhamisho wa Dar es Salaam nami nikajiunga na wenzangu katika walimu wengi wa shule hiyo. Hapa napo sikukaa muda mrefu, mnamo August 1937 nilihamishwa shule ya Vikundu katika mkoa huu huu. Mnamo 1938 nilirudi tena Dar es Salaam na mwaka huo huo nikahamishwa Bagamoyo na Yombo. Hapa Bagamoyo, palikuwa kama kituo cha kusubiri mambo fulani yakamilike kule Yombo, na baada ya kukamilika niliondoka kuelekea Yombo.

Mnamo mwaka huu huu 1938 nilirudi Tanga kwa ajili ya kuoa. Arusi ilikuwa 2 Desember, 1938. Mara baada ya arusi na kupumzika siku chache nilirudi Dar es Salaam. Wakati nikiongojea mahali pa kupelekwa nilikuwa mwalimu wa kuwasaidia au kuwashikia wenzangu wenye dharura au wagonjwa. Kama halipo hat moja katika hayo, nilimsaidia Mwalimu Mkuu kazi zake ndogo ndogo. Kwa kazi kama hii ya kungoja, mnamo mwezi February 1939 nilipelekwa Morogoro kushika kazi za aliyekuwa mgonjwa. Huko Morogoro nilikaa mwezi mmoja tu. Kisha nikarudi tena Dar es Salaam.

Mnamo July 1939 nilipata uhamisho kwenda Kilwa Kivinje. Hapa Kilwa nilikaa kwa muda wa miaka mitatu mpaka nikapata likizo la kurudi kwetu Tanga. Wakati wa kwenda likizo niliomba upatikane uwezekano wa kubaki Tanga kwa kazi.

Mnamo February 1942 nilianza kazi katika shule ya Muheza katika Mkoa wa Tanga, na baada ya miezi miwili au mitatu nilihamishwa tena kwa kufanya kazi katika shule ya Mkinga iliyoko katika mkoa wa Tanga. Hapa Mkinga nilikaa miaka mitatu.

Mwanzoni 1945 nilihamishwa Mkinga nikapelekwa Mnyanjani. Shule ambayo nidyo niliyoanza kusoma na ndicho kijiji nilichozaliwa. Ni kama mwezi mmoja kabla sijaweka tako vizuri nilihamishwa kwenda Kigombe, katika Mkoa wa Tanga.

Tangu 1937-1944 nimekuwa mwalimu wa kawaida au mwalimu msaidizi.

Katika shule ya Kigombe ndio shule ya kwanza kuwa Mwalimu Mkuu (Headteacher). Niliitumikia shule hii kwa muda wa miaka mine na kidogo.

Mnamo mwezi April 1949 nilichaguliwa niwe Mwalimu Mshauri (Government School Supervisor) na kituo changu kiwe katika ofisi ya Provincial Education Officer (sasa Regional Education Officer) Tanga. Katika wadhifa huu mpya nilikabidhiwa uangalizi wa Wilaya mbili. Handeni na Lushoto, wakati huo shule zote kwa jumla katika wilaya zote mbili ni kama sitini zikiwa nyingi ni za madhehebu ya Kikiristo. Kwa kadiri ya maendeleo yanavyokwenda mbele kwa haraka, kati ya 1951 na 1952 niliweza kuchagua walimu wengine wawili na walipokubaliwa mmoja akahamia Handeni na mwingine akahamia Lushoto. Mimi nilishughulika na Wilaya ya Pangani na Tanga (muangalizi wa wilaya hizi alisitaafu). Pamoja na wilaya hizi mbili pia nilikuwa na shughuli mbili tofauti. Kwanza ugawaji wa vifaa kwa shule zote za mkoa wa Tanga (wakati huo wilaya ya Same imo katika Mkoa wa Tanga). Pili kushughulika na matatizo ya walimu wa Mkoa mzima kimaandishi na kadhalika.

Katika muda wangu wa kutulia hapa Tanga, mnamo mwaka 1953 tulifungua chama cha Kiswahili ambacho jina lake lilikuwa "Chama cha Taaluma ya Kiswahili Tanga Tanganyika". Wafuatao walikuwa ndio viongozi wa kwanza.

1. Pera Ridhiwani, Mwenyekiti
2. M. M. Kihere, Naibu wa Mwenyekiti RIP
3. Shaban Robert, Katibu RIP
4. Salehe Kibwana, Muweka Hazina RIP

Wengine waliokuwa halmashauri:-

J. W. T. Allen RIP

Wengine nimewasahau, lakini jumla ya wanachama walifikia zaidi ya mia moja.

Mwaka uliofuata ulifanyika tena uchaguzi. Ilitokea mabadiliko kidogo ambayo:

1. Pera Ridhiwani, Mwenyekiti
2. M. M. Kihere, Naibu Mwenyekiti
3. Waziri Juma, Katibu
4. Mohamed Ali Albuhury, Muweka Hazina RIP

Chama kilikuwa na nguvu na tulipata wanachama wengi wa Tanganyika na nje ya Tanganyika, kama D. V. Perrot ambaye hapo mwanzo aliishi sana Magila akiwa Sister katika madhehebu ya U.M.C.A.

Chama kilikuwa na uhusiano mzuri na chama kile cha Afrika Mashariki ambacho kiliitwa Interterital Language Committee. Niliwafahamu Ndugu Whitely, Kapoka na wengine wengi wakati ule.

Mnamo 1955 alinifikia Ndugu Whitely pekee ili nikamkabidhi kwa wenyeji wa Mtangata, Tongoni. Nilimpeleka na matokeo yake ni hiki kitabu kidogo Dialect za Kimtang’ata.

Nakadhalika nilipokea makala ya “Mwao” ambayo yalielezea preposition na conjunction, vivyo maandishi ya Kamusi mpya ya Swahili-English ili mambo hayo yapate maoni. (Moto wa Tanga ulitawanya yote). Chama chetu kiliharibika baada ya watumishi wote kupata uhamisho wa sehemu mbali mbali, nami nikiwa mmoja wao.

May, 1956 nilipata uhamisho toka Tanga kwenda Wilaya ya Same, huko niliishi kwa muda mrefu nikiwa Mwalimu mshauri vile vile.

Mnamo March, 1958 nilihamia Korogwe nikiwa na kazi hiyo hiyo hapa Korogwe nilijiendeleza kidogo kwa masomo ya Correspondance ili kujipima kama nitaweza. Nilichukua masomo toka B.T.C. Nairobi, hasa ilikuwa somo moja tu la Junior English, baada ya kumaliza masomo yao nilifanya mtihani, kwa abahati nzuri nilifaulu na kupata cheti. Nilishawishiwa niendelee sehemu ya Senior bali havikuwezekana kwa uchache wa nafasi.

October, 1959 serikali ya Kiingereza ilinitunukia hishima ya kupata Queen’s Certificate and Badge of Honour.

Mnamo January, 1961 nilihamishwa Korogwe nikafika Tanga mjini na kuwa Mwalimu Mkuu wa Shule ya Msingi ya Msambweni. Hili lilitokana na kuchoka kwangu kwa kukaa mno nje bila kutuwa, na pia kwa akuli ya kurudishwa tena Same.

Mnamo January 1971 nilihamishwa Msambweni nikaenda Kisosora. Huu ni uhamaji wa hapa na pale.

Mnamo February 1972 nilikwisha kamilisha miaka 35 ya kazi ya Ualimu hivyo mwezi huo mwishoni nilisitaafu.

Nje ya Kazi ya Ualimu

Mnamo mwaka 1973 ambapo Chama pamoja na Serikali inahimiza watu wajiunge kwa vyama vya Ushirika, niliwakusanya wazee wenzangu wa mjini Tanga ili tufungue Duka la Ushirika.

Mnamo tarehe 18 January, 1974 duka tulilifungua nikiwa Mwenyekiti wa duka mpaka leo kwa kufanya uchaguzi mara mbili.

Mnamo January 1976 Ndugu wa Bakwata Tanga waliniomba niwasaidie katika shule yao ya Sekondari, nami niliwakubalia kwa masomo mawili ambayo hayakupata mtalaamu wake, nayo ni Dini na Kiswahili.

Mnamo 1979 nimechaguliwa kuwa Mwenyekiti wa Washirika katika Wilaya ya Tanga, pia katika mwaka huo huo nilichaguliwa kuwa mjumbe wa Kamati ya utekelezaji wa Mkoa. Isitoshe, mwaka huo huo nilichaguliwa kuwa mjumbe wa kamati ya mkutano mkuu wa Taifa.

Aprili 1976 jamaa wa Bakwata hawakuwa na Headmaster nami wakaniomba niwe Deputy Headmaster mpaka hapo watakapopata wamtakaye.

August 1977 niliiacha kazi yao kwa usalama kwa ajili ya jambo dogo la kutoeleana.

Mnamo 1980 nimechaguliwa kuwa mjumbe wa Kamati ya Lugha ya Kiswahili wa Mkoa. Pia mwaka huo huo nikachaguliwa katika kamati ya Ugawaji wa vitu Muhimu Wilaya ya Tanga. Wakadhalika mwaka huo huo mwishoni nimechaguliwa kuwa mjumbe wa kamati ya upangishaji wa majumba katika mkoa wa Tanga.

Mambo mengine niliyoyafanya tangu shuleni mpaka sasa

Wakati nipo shuleni Mpwapwa nilikuwa mwandishi mkubwa wa magazeti. Katika magazeti hayo kwanza ni mwanafunzi. Gazeti hili lilitumika zaidi katika mashule na vyuo. Gazeti jingine ambalo nilipendelea kupeleka habari zangu ni Mambo Leo. Nilipata umaarufu wa kujulikana kwa magazeti hayo mawili. Pengine utaweza kukuta mashairi au habari gazeti lilokuwa Mombasa (Kenya) "Sauti ya Mvita".

Nimewasaidia sana watumishi wa Taasisi ya Uchunguzi wa Kiswahili tangu nilipoanza kuwafahamu mnamo mwaka 1975. Katika hao niliowasaidia ni:

1. P. M. Mbughuni (Mrs) wakati alipokuwa na Utafiti wa Fasihi Simulizi kule Tanga. Binafsi, nilikuwa muwekaji wa mipango yake kila mahali tulipokwenda; Tanga mjini, Tongoni, Kigombe na Pangani. Nilijitolea mwezi mmoja.

2. Profesa Muhina na Father Kapinga wakati walipofika Tanga kwa ajili ya Utafiti wa Sarufi Miundo/Maumbo.

3. Niliwasaidia pia jamaa wale wa Final ambao walikuwa na mradi wa Jipe Moyo ulioanzishwa kule Miono.

Kwa ufupisho ni kusema kwamba jamaa wote wanaokuja kwa shughuli za utafiti baada ya kujieleza ama kwa Katibu wa Mkoa au Ofisa wa Utamaduni wa Mkoa wa Tanga, huletwa kwangu ili niwasaidie haja zao. Sikwambii watoto wa shule za Sekondari, hao ni kila wakati.

4. Niliombwa na Afisa wa Utamaduni Tanga nifanye utafiti juu ya kabila la Wadigo au Wasegeju. Nilikubali nianze kwa kabila la Wasegeju kwa ajili ndilo kabila langu, na hapajatokea tokea maandishi yoyote juu ya kabila hili.

Mnamo mwaka 1977 niliianza kazi hii ya kusumbuka huko na huko na kupokea taarifa mbali mbali zenye kutegemewa. Mwezi October 1980 kazi ilikwisha kamilika ya Kitabu cha Historia ya Wasegeju. Niandikapo taarifa hii kiko mbioni chini ya wakuu wanohusika ili kipigwe chapa.

Utafiti mwingine na ambao umekwisha kamilika ni habari za Miongo. Hii miongo itatujulisha nyakati za mvua, kupanda, kuvuna, kusi, kasikazi, kipupwe na mambo chungu zima ambayo mababu waliyatumia juu ya kazi zao za shambani. Kazi hii nimeikabidhi Taasisi ya Uchunguzi wa Kiswahili kwa sababu ndiwo chimbuko la Mradi huu. (Semina ya Sarufi ya Kiswahili Bagamoyo tarehe 26/6/1976 mpaka 3/7/1976).

Nyongeza - Mwaka 1963 nilipata mafunzo ya huduma ya kwanza (Red Cross) nikafaulu kwa kupata cheti cha daraja la III pamoja na hati ya kuwafundisha wengine.

Mwaka 1964 nilipata mafunzo zaidi ya daraja la pili nilifaulu kwa kupata hati yake. Mafunzo hayo yalitolewa na Maofisa waliofika Tanga toka Uingereza.

Yote niliyoyaeleza ni mafunzo ya upande wa ilimu ya Kizungu. Upande wa Kiarabu nimesoma katika madrasa ya humu na mpaka leo bado naendelea kwa sababu ya kuyakatakata masomo. Vile vile kusoma ni ibada hata uweje huwezi kusema nimechoka na imefika mwisho.

Nimejaribu kuandika yale ninaayoyakumbuka na ambayo isingekuwa vema kuachwa kwa ajili ya umuhimu wake. Haja ni kumbukumbu siyo Maisha yangu.

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