Robert Bin Shaaban
Encyclopedia
Shaaban bin Robert, also known as Shaaban Robert (1 January 1909 – 22 June 1962), was a Tanzania
n poet
, author
, and essayist who supported the preservation of Africa
n verse
traditions. He was born in Vibamba in the country's Tanga Region
. Robert is thought of as a great Swahili thinker and writer in East Africa and has been called "poet laureate of Swahili" and the "Father of Swahili."
, coming in second in a class of 11 to receive the School Leaving Certificate under the then British colonial educational system in Tanganyika.
The capital city of Dar es Salaam is home to a school named after him, the Shaaban Robert Secondary School
.
(TANU) and Nyerere. Many of his civil service experiences are woven into his writings. During his lifetime he received the Margaret Wrong Memorial Prize for writing and was honored by the British government as a Member of the British Empire
(M.B.E.).
and the struggle for the dignity of mankind. He was a humanist
. He worked for freedom and gender equality, and was against racial and religious discrimination. Tanzania's first president, Julius Nyerere
, had complete admiration for the late Shaaban Robert, and greatly valued and promoted his intellectual work. His was also equal respect for both Muslims and Christians. That is depicted by his two unusual names (Shaaban—Muslim name and Robert, a Christian name).
Sheikh Shaaban Robert succeeded to write essay books, prose and poems and some of his literature is part of the must-school and higher education reading. Some of his books included Maisha Yangu na Baada ya Miaka Hamsini, Kusadikika, and Wasifu wa Siti binti Saad.
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
n poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, and essayist who supported the preservation of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n verse
Verse (poetry)
A verse is formally a single line in a metrical composition, e.g. poetry. However, the word has come to represent any division or grouping of words in such a composition, which traditionally had been referred to as a stanza....
traditions. He was born in Vibamba in the country's Tanga Region
Tanga Region
Tanga Region is one of the 26 regions of Tanzania. The regional headquarters is in Tanga. According to the 2002 Tanzania National Census, the region has a population of 1,642,015 people....
. Robert is thought of as a great Swahili thinker and writer in East Africa and has been called "poet laureate of Swahili" and the "Father of Swahili."
Biography
Robert was born in the tiny village of Vibamba south of the town of Tanga in northeastern Tanzania (then Tanganyika) in East Africa. The surname Robert is most likely a name his father was given when he went to primary school. Shaaban himself for a time wrote it Roberts rather than Robert. From 1922 to 1926 he was educated in Dar es SalaamDar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam , formerly Mzizima, is the largest city in Tanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre. Dar es Salaam is actually an administrative province within Tanzania, and consists of three local government areas or administrative districts: ...
, coming in second in a class of 11 to receive the School Leaving Certificate under the then British colonial educational system in Tanganyika.
The capital city of Dar es Salaam is home to a school named after him, the Shaaban Robert Secondary School
Shaaban Robert Secondary School
Shaaban Robert Secondary School is a co-educational secondary school based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The school is named after a Tanzanian poet and author, Shaaban Robert....
.
Career
After receiving the school certificate Shaaban worked at various posts as a colonial government civil servant. From 1926 to 1944 he was a customs official at different locations throughout the territory. From 1944 to 1946 he worked for the Game Department. From 1946 to 1952 he worked in the Tanga District Office, and from 1952 to 1960 he was in the Survey Office there. He worked very closely with the Tanganyika African National UnionTanganyika African National Union
The Tanganyika African National Union was the principal political party in the struggle for sovereignty in the East African state of Tanganyika . The party was formed from the Tanganyika African Association by Julius Nyerere in July 1954 when he was teaching at St. Francis' College...
(TANU) and Nyerere. Many of his civil service experiences are woven into his writings. During his lifetime he received the Margaret Wrong Memorial Prize for writing and was honored by the British government as a Member of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(M.B.E.).
Intellectual work
Robert contributed to the promotion of the Swahili languageSwahili language
Swahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...
and the struggle for the dignity of mankind. He was a humanist
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
. He worked for freedom and gender equality, and was against racial and religious discrimination. Tanzania's first president, Julius Nyerere
Julius Nyerere
Julius Kambarage Nyerere was a Tanzanian politician who served as the first President of Tanzania and previously Tanganyika, from the country's founding in 1961 until his retirement in 1985....
, had complete admiration for the late Shaaban Robert, and greatly valued and promoted his intellectual work. His was also equal respect for both Muslims and Christians. That is depicted by his two unusual names (Shaaban—Muslim name and Robert, a Christian name).
Sheikh Shaaban Robert succeeded to write essay books, prose and poems and some of his literature is part of the must-school and higher education reading. Some of his books included Maisha Yangu na Baada ya Miaka Hamsini, Kusadikika, and Wasifu wa Siti binti Saad.
Further reading
- Lyndon Harries: Swahili Poetry. Oxford, 1962
- Jan Knappert: Traditional Swahili Poetry. Mouton, The Hague, 1968
- Edgar C. Polome: Swahili Language Handbook, 1967)
- Wilfred H. Whiteley: Swahili: The Rise of a National Language, 1969