Swahili Folklore: A Compilation of Animal Facts, Folktales, Nursery Rhymes, and Songs

By Gloria D. Gonsalves

Sometimes old memories come fl ooding back into one’s mind with nostalgic eff ect.
One day my brain felt like a giant elephant as I hummed old songs and rhymes
that dated as far back as my days in nursery school. My native country Tanzania
was preoccupying me. I felt the urge to share these wonderful childhood memories.
It was time to show my gratitude to all my teachers who made my school days a
joy to remember and also to share the gift of memory with all the children in this
universe.
Th is book consists of nursery rhymes, songs and 20 Swahili folk tales translated into
English. Th e stories were written and submitted by school children from Manundu
Primary School in my hometown Korogwe. In Tanzania, oral lore is a common
tradition of transmitting stories from one generation to another. I did not wish to
see this knowledge get lost but get preserved in a form of written book. Th e nursery
rhymes, songs and animal facts were contributed by me. Th ese were inspired by
memories from my school time experiences and also a wish to instill children with an
appreciation for the wild animals, especially those belonging to the List of Th reatened
Animals.
For every child who wishes to explore their wild and fun side, just fl ick through
the pages of this book and get acquainted with the Swahili folklore and Tanzanian
wildlife. Tanzania warmly welcomes you. “Karibu sana!”

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Jan 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9781665595117

Gloria D. Gonsalves

Gloria D. Gonsalves – author, poet, illustrator, philanthropist, former UN staff, former tourism and travel professional – is a multipotentialite who writes books for children and adults. She is also the founder of WoChiPoDa.com, an initiative to instil the love of poetry in children. Her writing has appeared in various literary magazines, platforms, and journals in Africa, Europe, and the USA, including being featured five times by the USA-based National/Global Poetry Writing Month (Na/GloPoWriMo). Occasionally, she writes opinion pieces for newspapers, where she wrote for Tanzania’s Daily News (Woman Magazine inset) and Tanzania Business Times (Woman Unlimited column). Gloria is also fascinated by travel and art journaling. When taking a break from writing, she practices sketching and painting. Gloria was born and raised in Tanzania. Her mother is Chagga, a tribe from Kilimanjaro, and her father is Luguru, a tribe from Morogoro and half-Indian from Goa. She grew up in the town of Korogwe in a family of three. She lives in Germany with her lawyer husband and their son. Visit her at www.gloria-gonsalves.com

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2022 Gloria D. Gonsalves. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

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ISBN: 978-1-6655-9510-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-9511-7 (e)

Published by AuthorHouse 01/13/2022

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

To the children who made this book colorful with their short stories and drawings, may God grant you more creative blessings. Please keep writing and drawing so your thoughts are heard. Thank you to Andrea Tumaini Perrin, Arundathi Kurukulasuriya, Maria Hidalgo Llorca, Samudra Kurukulasuriya, and Tharake Kurukulasuriya for evoking the child within in their illustrations. Thank you to the following students of Mazoezi Primary School in Korogwe for representing the culture of storytelling in Tanzania: Suzana Raphael, Julieth Raphael Mmaka, Godfrey Magati, Paulo Mhando, Jestina Kanju, Elifrida Raphael Mmaka, Habibu Abdallah, Mariamu Mashaka, Honest Mmasy, Minael Mjema, Joyce Elia, Ahlam Mohamed, Mbaraka Hoza, Inocent Mmasy, Ernesta Peter, Brightness Daudi, Dorene Godwin, and Winlisa Godwin.

To Mr. Raphael Mmaka, thank you for coordinating the student’s efforts to narrate their stories. You are one of the many teachers whose good work goes unnoticed. Please keep doing what you do best and your heroic actions will shine through to those you lead.

To all Tanzanian teachers, mothers, and fathers, I thank you for the gift of narration and melody, which made my childhood recollection journey such a pleasure. Please keep passing on our traditions to future generations.

To all children, Tanzania is a wonderful country which warmly welcomes everyone. Please consider visiting it one day.

TANZANIAN PRIDE POEM

They will ask who you are. Tell them this:

your hidden beauty is the Southern Highlands

your lips are violets from the Usambara meadows

your tongue rhymes colors of hundred dialects

your face laughs with the purity of Kilimanjaro waters

your hands weave a story of the ocean in the East

your heart jolts to a beating of the Makonde drums

your body sways with the elegance of coconut trees

your feet chime riddles of the savannah wilderness, and

your pride is a height only a Maasai warrior knows.

TANZANIA

• The United Republic of Tanzania (Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania) is located in East Africa.

• The name Tanzania is the result of a merger between the mainland (previously Tanganyika) and the Zanzibar Isles (Unguja and Pemba) in 1964, after both gained independence.

• The official language of the country is Kiswahili (or Swahili) and the teaching language in primary schools, while English is the teaching language in secondary schools and higher education institutions.

• Tanzania is home to about 126 tribes, most of them of Bantu origin.

• Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, is found in the north-east of Tanzania.

• Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and the largest tropical lake in the world.

• Lake Tanganyika is the longest river in the world and second largest freshwater lake in the world by volume.

• Currently there are 22 national parks, 16 game reserves, 13 wildlife management areas, two Ramsar sites and