Shani Omari: The Origins of Rap Are Rooted in the Culture of the African Oral Arts
Dr. Shani Omari, senior lecturer and professor at the University of Dar es Salaam
Mmerikani’s Substack consists of sourced, edifying quotes in a dual-language format (Swahili & English). I am a Quaker, runner, and was formally trained in Swahili.
KISWAHILI
[Madondoo yaliofuatia kutoka kwa utafiti wa Shani Omari uliochapishwa katika Jarida la Kioo cha Lugha kama “‘Mgogoro’ wa Ushairi wa Kiswahili bado Upo?: Uchunguzi wa Nyimbo za Muziki wa Hip hop na Bongo fleva nchini Tanzania” (2017).]
“Muziki wa Hip hop uliingia nchini Tanzania mwishoni mwa miaka ya 1980. Historia inaeleza kuwa vijana wa Kitanzania ambao familia zao zilikuwa zinajiweza kiuchumi walienda ughaibuni kwa ajili ya masomo, kusalimia ndugu na jamaa; na hivyo kwa msaada wa ndugu na jamaa zao waliingiza muziki huu [Tanzania] kupitia kanda, magazeti na kadhalika.
“Hata hivyo, ingawa historia inaonesha kuwa Hip hop imetoka Marekani lakini tafiti tangulizi zinaonesha kuwa asili na mzizi wa Hip hop (hasa rap maarufu kama muziki wa kufokafoka) ni Afrika (Burnim na Maultsby, 2006; Powell, 2013 na Clark, 2013 katika Sway 2015:29).
“Aidha, kwa kuwa huko Marekani Hip hop ilichipuka miongoni mwa Wamarekani Weusi ambao asili yao ni Afrika ni hakika kuwa mzizi wa rap asili yake ni Afrika. Hii inadhihirishwa na nduni mbalimbali za kifasihi simulizi ya Afrika zinazopatikana katika muziki huu kama vile majigambo, masimulizi na majibizano (Omari, 2009). Kwa hakika mzizi wa rap umetokana na utamaduni wa fani simulizi za Kiafrika (Haskins, 2000; Halliday, 2011).”
- Dk. Shani Omari ni mhadhiri mkuu na profesa mshirika kwenye Chuo Kikuu cha Dar es Salaam. Ni mwandishi au mchangiaji wa machapisho yaliyozidi thelathini kuchanguza njia panda za muziki, utamaduni wa vijana, na jinsia kweneye fasihi ya simulizi na andishi ya Kiswahili.
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
[Excerpts from academic research by Shani Omari published in the Kioo cha Lugha Journal as “Does the 'Dispute' of Swahili Poetry Still Exist? A Study of Hip Hop and Bongo Fleva Music in Tanzania” (2017).]
“Hip Hop music entered Tanzania in the late 1980s. History shows that young Tanzanians whose families were economically well-off went abroad for studies, to visit friends and relatives; and so, through their friends and relatives, they introduced this music to [Tanzania] through tapes, newspapers and other means.
“However, even though history delineates Hip Hop as having begun in the United States, preliminary research suggests that the origin and roots of Hip Hop (especially rap, popular as a form of exuberant music) are African (Burnim and Maultsby, 2006; Powell, 2013 and Clark, 2013 in Sway 2015:29).
“Furthermore, because Hip Hop originated in the United States among Black Americans of African descent, it is indisputable that the roots of rap are African. This is evidenced by the various African oral literary and narrative features found in this music, such as braggadocio, storytelling, and call-and-response (Omari, 2009). In fact, the roots of rap are rooted in the culture of African oral arts (Haskins, 2000; Halliday, 2011).”
- Dk. Shani Omari is a senior lecturer and associate professor at the University of Dar es Salaam. She is the author or contributor to over thirty publications on the intersections of music, youth culture, and gender in Swahili oral and written literature.
Chanzo (source): Shani Omari. “‘Mgogoro’ wa Ushairi wa Kiswahili bado Upo?: Uchunguzi wa Nyimbo za Muziki wa Hip hop na Bongo fleva nchini Tanzania.” [“Does the 'Crisis' of Swahili Poetry Still Exist? A Study of Hip Hop and Bongo Fleva Music in Tanzania”] Kioo cha Lugha, vol. 15, no. 1 (2017): 13-148. Kioo cha Lugha ni jarida la Taasisi ya Taaluma za Kiswahili, Chuo Kikuu cha Dar es Salaam. Article published on African Journals Online (AJOL) on November 14, 2017 at https://www.ajol.info/index.php/kcl/article/view/162916. Accessed June 12, 2025.