Uta Reuster-Jahn | University of Hamburg (original) (raw)

Papers by Uta Reuster-Jahn

Obituary in memory of Thomas Geider, a former editior of the Swahili Foru

Urban Contact Dialects and Language Change, 2022

Gendered Dichotomies in African Youth language Practices. Urban and Rural Spaces, Virtual and Real-Life Gendered Discourses, 2023

Verbal sexual harassment of adolescent girls and young women by groups of male youths in public u... more Verbal sexual harassment of adolescent girls and young women by groups of male youths in public urban spaces in Tanzania is a locally unnamed practice that reinforces gender stereotypes and objectifies the women. This exclusively male practice shares characteristics with catcalling in Western urban contexts and draws attention to gendered dichotomies in youth language usage. As direct references to women's sexuality and bodies in public spaces is widely considered shameful, the male youths employ expressions from the urban youth lexicon Lugha ya Mitaani as "euphemisms" (tafsida or tasfida in Swahili) for catcalling. Lugha ya Mitaani is therefore crucial to this practice, as it enables young male Swahili speakers in the city to make their violation of the rules of respect (heshima) and ethics (maadili) somewhat acceptable. Based on semi-structured interviews with young women, this study examines the concepts expressed by the lexical items involved, the typical interactions in which they are used, and the subjective experience of affected women. The study further shows that young women, unlike their male counterparts, tend to talk about and evaluate their female and male peers more in private. In this regard, female study participants report using only a few expressions from the Lugha ya Mitaani lexicon which are considered less offensive, while they use English loans when talking about men. Findings further show that women create expressions in the semantic domain of "hair and hairstyles," an area that is entirely absent when male youths evaluate and publicly comment on the female body. Such usages tend to strengthen the notion of dichotomy in male and female youth language practices.

Folk narratives do reflect on the reality of life of those who tell them, even though it is frequ... more Folk narratives do reflect on the reality of life of those who tell them, even though it is frequently not rendered in a straightforward but rather in a subtle and sometimes distorted way (cf. Mohlig et al. (eds), 1988; Rohrich, 1964; Simmons, 1961; Steinbrich, 1997). In the rural areas of Africa these aspects of reality are up to now characterised by social prescriptions and cultural rules which put the individual under constraints one can not easily escape. The medium of folk narratives allows for some imaginative freedom in respect to these prescribed ways. This holds especially true in respect to marriage and marital life, where individual needs and desires can easily clash with social rules and thus lead to conflict. The importance of this topic is indicated by the large number of African folk narratives which deal with it. This also applies to the narratives of the Mwera who live as cultivators in the Southeast of the Republic of Tanzania. The Mwera speak a bantu language and ...

Grundthemen der Literaturwissenschaft: Literarische Institutionen, 2019

This article examines how Bongo Flava artists in Tanzania commented with their songs on the Gener... more This article examines how Bongo Flava artists in Tanzania commented with their songs on the General Elections of the year 2005. The study is mainly based on the lyrics which are presented in full length in the appendix which is accessible online 1 . The artists voiced criticism of politicians as well as voters, in a direct as well as in an indirect, humorous way. Some praised the presidential candidate of the dominating party CCM. The diversity of style as well as the range of positions taken, show, that Bongo Flava is a multifaceted cultural phenomenon which has assumed a role in public political discourse. However, it also becomes evident that some Bongo Flava artists with their support for the ruling party were aiming at enhancing recognition and acceptance by political leaders. This article suggests that their expressed concern for the nation as well as religion was supportive to that endeavour. 1. The electoral campaign 2005 in Tanzania In 2005, general elections took place in ...

Oral Literary Performance in Africa

Sociolinguistic Studies, 2015

Urban language in Tanzania is based on Swahili. It is a complex linguistic phenomenon which, depe... more Urban language in Tanzania is based on Swahili. It is a complex linguistic phenomenon which, depending on contexts, can be used as a sociolect, a register, or a speech style. As its creators and users are predominantly male urban youths, it shares many features with other urban youth languages in Africa. This urban language, in Swahili called lugha ya mitaani, has been described linguistically by Reuster-Jahn and Kiesling (2006), who focused on its creative strategies of manipulation as well as on its semantic domains characterised by overlexicalization. This article examines the interplay between youth culture, in particular music, and urban youth language in Tanzania. It argues that the rapid development of youth language after the socialist era in Tanzania, which ended in the late 1980s, was closely connected to the rise of Bongo Flava, a hip-hop movement in the country which spread lexical creations and imbued youth language with prestige. Moreover, the article suggests a correlation between the transformation of Bongo Flava into commercial pop music since approximately 2010 and the decreased prestige of youth language. It is based on a preliminary survey among Tanzanian youths in Dar es Salaam.

Transmediales Erzählen im Zeitalter der Medienkonvergenz, 2013

African Print Cultures. Newspapers and Their Publics in the Twentieth Century, 2016

Swahili Forum, 2018

Swahili translation is a relatively new academic field, and recent publications show increasing i... more Swahili translation is a relatively new academic field, and recent publications show increasing interest in this area of research. The articles in this volume bring together reflections on translation from and into Swahili from across four continents. The papers offer insights into translation from Swahili into other languages in Europe (Aiello, Garnier, Gaudioso, Reuster-Jahn), the USA (Koenings), Russia (Gromov), China (Lei), and Egypt (Salah). They also consider translation practices in Kenya (Gromov) and Tanzania (Böhme, Gromov).

Swahili Forum, 2018

This article shows how changing ideologies and evolving market forces have combined to lessen Ger... more This article shows how changing ideologies and evolving market forces have combined to lessen German publishers' enthusiasm for Swahili literature-and how, surprisingly, translators of Swahili are now taking the initiative to ensure that Swahili literature still gets published. After outlining preceding periods of translation and showing how they are determined by ideologies and market forces, I take a close and partially personal look at the development and role of the translator-publishers: how digital technology and new formats have enabled them to take over classical publishers' tasks. Still, even if translators manage to publish their translated works, they are confronted with the challenge of reaching an audience and creating a space for Swahili literature in German-speaking countries. These translators could possibly join forces to reach a critical mass for translations, thus paving the way for Swahili translated literature to be recognized and appreciated by German-speaking readers.

LUGHA NA FASIHI. Scritti in onore e memoria di / Essays in honour and memory of ELENA BERTONCINI ZÚBKOVÁ, 2019

Alex Banzi belongs to the first generation of writers of modern Swahili prose literature in post-... more Alex Banzi belongs to the first generation of writers of modern Swahili prose literature in post-colonial Tanzania. His first novel, "Titi la Mkwe" (The daughterin-law’s breast), was published in 1972 by the state-owned Tanzania Publishing House (TPH). This novel about the problems of a modern marriage and the failed attempt of the wife to gain agency through magic, soon became required reading in Tanzanian secondary schools and colleges for the subject of Kiswahili and remained as such at least until the mid-1980s. Banzi’s second novel, "Zika Mwenyewe" (Bury your dead alone), published in 1975 by TPH, was again received favourably by literary critics. However, Banzi had published short stories in newspapers and magazines even before. In fact, two of these stories provided the basis for his two novels.
This article sheds light on the formation and career of Banzi, who was trained as a sociologist but engaged in writing seriously and with much ambition. He activley looked out for opportunities to develop his writing skills. He took part in courses in adult education courses in creative writing in Dar es Salaam and even enrolled in a creative writing course in Britain. Those courses were flourishing at the time in Britain and contributed to the "democratization of writing" in Britain (Hilliard 2006), and, as Banzi's case shows, even beyond.

Ursula Baumgardt (ed), Littératures en langues africaines. Production et diffusion. Paris: Karthala, 2017

In 2007 the first Swahili fiction was published on the internet, when the writer and publisher Er... more In 2007 the first Swahili fiction was published on the internet, when the writer and publisher Eric James Shigongo launched a blog to publish his serial novels and a selection of excerpts from his Swahili tabloids. His aim was not to sell these stories but rather to build a large readership in order to attract advertisements to the website.
During the past few years, new ways of publishing online have developed in Tanzania. A group of authors has established a new model for marketing their books, combining publishing serials on Facebook with the online purchase of their books for download, a bookshop, and a mail order business.

Africa Today, 2012

ABSTRACT

Bongo Media Worlds. Producing and Consuming Popular Culture in Dar es Salaam., 2014

The strategic use of Enghlish-language 'translations' in Swahili novels is a major focus of inter... more The strategic use of Enghlish-language 'translations' in Swahili novels is a major focus of interest in this essay on the Tanzanian popular writer Eric James Shigongo. Shigongo's literary code-switching between Swahili and English, which has become a hallmark of his highly popular novels, testifies to the continuing social prestige of English in Tanzania: while the country's official language policy successfully promoted Swahili for several decades, English is increasingly playing a pivotal role both among the political and economic elites who increasingly send their children to private English-medium schools and among the emergent, though sparse, middle class seeking access to English-language education. The success of Shigongo's novels is thus a clear indication that English in a contemporary Tanzania embracing neoliberalism is strongly associated with social achievement and success and is seen as a highly desirable commodity. Shigongo's - linguistically and stylistically often inappropriate - 'translations' from Swahili into English are not based on everyday speech situations but are the product of a specific literary form tht allows readers to imaginatively participate in the (real or imagined) cosmopolitan lifestyle of Tanzania's social elite. The extensive use of English in his novels thus serves as a symbol of modernity, middle- or upper-class identity, and (alleged) 'worldliness'.

Swahili Forum 21, Apr 2015

Since around 2011, Bongo Flava musicians use significantly more English in their lyrics than in t... more Since around 2011, Bongo Flava musicians use significantly more English in their lyrics than in the previous years, particularly in love songs. This article documents and describes this new trend and discusses the reasons for the change in language use. It reveals that the new development is indicative of a transformation of Bongo Flava towards pop, caused by changes in the domestic market on the one hand and by a growing outward-looking market orientation on the other. These changes are demanding new ways of constructing identities through the use of language.

Obituary in memory of Thomas Geider, a former editior of the Swahili Foru

Urban Contact Dialects and Language Change, 2022

Gendered Dichotomies in African Youth language Practices. Urban and Rural Spaces, Virtual and Real-Life Gendered Discourses, 2023

Verbal sexual harassment of adolescent girls and young women by groups of male youths in public u... more Verbal sexual harassment of adolescent girls and young women by groups of male youths in public urban spaces in Tanzania is a locally unnamed practice that reinforces gender stereotypes and objectifies the women. This exclusively male practice shares characteristics with catcalling in Western urban contexts and draws attention to gendered dichotomies in youth language usage. As direct references to women's sexuality and bodies in public spaces is widely considered shameful, the male youths employ expressions from the urban youth lexicon Lugha ya Mitaani as "euphemisms" (tafsida or tasfida in Swahili) for catcalling. Lugha ya Mitaani is therefore crucial to this practice, as it enables young male Swahili speakers in the city to make their violation of the rules of respect (heshima) and ethics (maadili) somewhat acceptable. Based on semi-structured interviews with young women, this study examines the concepts expressed by the lexical items involved, the typical interactions in which they are used, and the subjective experience of affected women. The study further shows that young women, unlike their male counterparts, tend to talk about and evaluate their female and male peers more in private. In this regard, female study participants report using only a few expressions from the Lugha ya Mitaani lexicon which are considered less offensive, while they use English loans when talking about men. Findings further show that women create expressions in the semantic domain of "hair and hairstyles," an area that is entirely absent when male youths evaluate and publicly comment on the female body. Such usages tend to strengthen the notion of dichotomy in male and female youth language practices.

Folk narratives do reflect on the reality of life of those who tell them, even though it is frequ... more Folk narratives do reflect on the reality of life of those who tell them, even though it is frequently not rendered in a straightforward but rather in a subtle and sometimes distorted way (cf. Mohlig et al. (eds), 1988; Rohrich, 1964; Simmons, 1961; Steinbrich, 1997). In the rural areas of Africa these aspects of reality are up to now characterised by social prescriptions and cultural rules which put the individual under constraints one can not easily escape. The medium of folk narratives allows for some imaginative freedom in respect to these prescribed ways. This holds especially true in respect to marriage and marital life, where individual needs and desires can easily clash with social rules and thus lead to conflict. The importance of this topic is indicated by the large number of African folk narratives which deal with it. This also applies to the narratives of the Mwera who live as cultivators in the Southeast of the Republic of Tanzania. The Mwera speak a bantu language and ...

Grundthemen der Literaturwissenschaft: Literarische Institutionen, 2019

This article examines how Bongo Flava artists in Tanzania commented with their songs on the Gener... more This article examines how Bongo Flava artists in Tanzania commented with their songs on the General Elections of the year 2005. The study is mainly based on the lyrics which are presented in full length in the appendix which is accessible online 1 . The artists voiced criticism of politicians as well as voters, in a direct as well as in an indirect, humorous way. Some praised the presidential candidate of the dominating party CCM. The diversity of style as well as the range of positions taken, show, that Bongo Flava is a multifaceted cultural phenomenon which has assumed a role in public political discourse. However, it also becomes evident that some Bongo Flava artists with their support for the ruling party were aiming at enhancing recognition and acceptance by political leaders. This article suggests that their expressed concern for the nation as well as religion was supportive to that endeavour. 1. The electoral campaign 2005 in Tanzania In 2005, general elections took place in ...

Oral Literary Performance in Africa

Sociolinguistic Studies, 2015

Urban language in Tanzania is based on Swahili. It is a complex linguistic phenomenon which, depe... more Urban language in Tanzania is based on Swahili. It is a complex linguistic phenomenon which, depending on contexts, can be used as a sociolect, a register, or a speech style. As its creators and users are predominantly male urban youths, it shares many features with other urban youth languages in Africa. This urban language, in Swahili called lugha ya mitaani, has been described linguistically by Reuster-Jahn and Kiesling (2006), who focused on its creative strategies of manipulation as well as on its semantic domains characterised by overlexicalization. This article examines the interplay between youth culture, in particular music, and urban youth language in Tanzania. It argues that the rapid development of youth language after the socialist era in Tanzania, which ended in the late 1980s, was closely connected to the rise of Bongo Flava, a hip-hop movement in the country which spread lexical creations and imbued youth language with prestige. Moreover, the article suggests a correlation between the transformation of Bongo Flava into commercial pop music since approximately 2010 and the decreased prestige of youth language. It is based on a preliminary survey among Tanzanian youths in Dar es Salaam.

Transmediales Erzählen im Zeitalter der Medienkonvergenz, 2013

African Print Cultures. Newspapers and Their Publics in the Twentieth Century, 2016

Swahili Forum, 2018

Swahili translation is a relatively new academic field, and recent publications show increasing i... more Swahili translation is a relatively new academic field, and recent publications show increasing interest in this area of research. The articles in this volume bring together reflections on translation from and into Swahili from across four continents. The papers offer insights into translation from Swahili into other languages in Europe (Aiello, Garnier, Gaudioso, Reuster-Jahn), the USA (Koenings), Russia (Gromov), China (Lei), and Egypt (Salah). They also consider translation practices in Kenya (Gromov) and Tanzania (Böhme, Gromov).

Swahili Forum, 2018

This article shows how changing ideologies and evolving market forces have combined to lessen Ger... more This article shows how changing ideologies and evolving market forces have combined to lessen German publishers' enthusiasm for Swahili literature-and how, surprisingly, translators of Swahili are now taking the initiative to ensure that Swahili literature still gets published. After outlining preceding periods of translation and showing how they are determined by ideologies and market forces, I take a close and partially personal look at the development and role of the translator-publishers: how digital technology and new formats have enabled them to take over classical publishers' tasks. Still, even if translators manage to publish their translated works, they are confronted with the challenge of reaching an audience and creating a space for Swahili literature in German-speaking countries. These translators could possibly join forces to reach a critical mass for translations, thus paving the way for Swahili translated literature to be recognized and appreciated by German-speaking readers.

LUGHA NA FASIHI. Scritti in onore e memoria di / Essays in honour and memory of ELENA BERTONCINI ZÚBKOVÁ, 2019

Alex Banzi belongs to the first generation of writers of modern Swahili prose literature in post-... more Alex Banzi belongs to the first generation of writers of modern Swahili prose literature in post-colonial Tanzania. His first novel, "Titi la Mkwe" (The daughterin-law’s breast), was published in 1972 by the state-owned Tanzania Publishing House (TPH). This novel about the problems of a modern marriage and the failed attempt of the wife to gain agency through magic, soon became required reading in Tanzanian secondary schools and colleges for the subject of Kiswahili and remained as such at least until the mid-1980s. Banzi’s second novel, "Zika Mwenyewe" (Bury your dead alone), published in 1975 by TPH, was again received favourably by literary critics. However, Banzi had published short stories in newspapers and magazines even before. In fact, two of these stories provided the basis for his two novels.
This article sheds light on the formation and career of Banzi, who was trained as a sociologist but engaged in writing seriously and with much ambition. He activley looked out for opportunities to develop his writing skills. He took part in courses in adult education courses in creative writing in Dar es Salaam and even enrolled in a creative writing course in Britain. Those courses were flourishing at the time in Britain and contributed to the "democratization of writing" in Britain (Hilliard 2006), and, as Banzi's case shows, even beyond.

Ursula Baumgardt (ed), Littératures en langues africaines. Production et diffusion. Paris: Karthala, 2017

In 2007 the first Swahili fiction was published on the internet, when the writer and publisher Er... more In 2007 the first Swahili fiction was published on the internet, when the writer and publisher Eric James Shigongo launched a blog to publish his serial novels and a selection of excerpts from his Swahili tabloids. His aim was not to sell these stories but rather to build a large readership in order to attract advertisements to the website.
During the past few years, new ways of publishing online have developed in Tanzania. A group of authors has established a new model for marketing their books, combining publishing serials on Facebook with the online purchase of their books for download, a bookshop, and a mail order business.

Africa Today, 2012

ABSTRACT

Bongo Media Worlds. Producing and Consuming Popular Culture in Dar es Salaam., 2014

The strategic use of Enghlish-language 'translations' in Swahili novels is a major focus of inter... more The strategic use of Enghlish-language 'translations' in Swahili novels is a major focus of interest in this essay on the Tanzanian popular writer Eric James Shigongo. Shigongo's literary code-switching between Swahili and English, which has become a hallmark of his highly popular novels, testifies to the continuing social prestige of English in Tanzania: while the country's official language policy successfully promoted Swahili for several decades, English is increasingly playing a pivotal role both among the political and economic elites who increasingly send their children to private English-medium schools and among the emergent, though sparse, middle class seeking access to English-language education. The success of Shigongo's novels is thus a clear indication that English in a contemporary Tanzania embracing neoliberalism is strongly associated with social achievement and success and is seen as a highly desirable commodity. Shigongo's - linguistically and stylistically often inappropriate - 'translations' from Swahili into English are not based on everyday speech situations but are the product of a specific literary form tht allows readers to imaginatively participate in the (real or imagined) cosmopolitan lifestyle of Tanzania's social elite. The extensive use of English in his novels thus serves as a symbol of modernity, middle- or upper-class identity, and (alleged) 'worldliness'.

Swahili Forum 21, Apr 2015

Since around 2011, Bongo Flava musicians use significantly more English in their lyrics than in t... more Since around 2011, Bongo Flava musicians use significantly more English in their lyrics than in the previous years, particularly in love songs. This article documents and describes this new trend and discusses the reasons for the change in language use. It reveals that the new development is indicative of a transformation of Bongo Flava towards pop, caused by changes in the domestic market on the one hand and by a growing outward-looking market orientation on the other. These changes are demanding new ways of constructing identities through the use of language.

This is the introduction to my translation of "Titi la Mkwe" by Alex Banzi (Tanzania Publishing H... more This is the introduction to my translation of "Titi la Mkwe" by Alex Banzi (Tanzania Publishing House 1972). The translation was published in agreement with Tanzania Publishing House. ISBN is 9-783743101852. Copyright Uta Reuster-Jahn.