New Directions in the Study of Global Africa: Migration, Language and Foodways

Session Submission Type: Panel

Description for Program

Nairobi's transformation from a nurturing indigenous space known as Enkare Nyrobi (a place of cool waters) to a bustling African metropolis is the result of various currents. Notably, colonial (mis)appropriation, resistance, migration, and the Swahili language have left an indelible mark on Nairobi's development and identity. In 1899, the colonial enterprise expropriated the riparian location that traditionally sustained the proximate Maasai, Kikuyu, and Kamba communities, turning the area into a control, extraction, and expansion center. Following that, the pioneering residents of a nascent and rapidly developing Nairobi, comprised of a diverse cohort of local and foreign railroad workers, laid the groundwork for massive migration flows that continue to shape the Kenyan capital. The Swahili language, a powerful tool that flows upstream from the coastal region, has consistently helped people navigate increasingly complex black spaces. Swahili continues to be a language of black empowerment, identity construction, and solidarity, demonstrating language's power. Swahili is critical for regional integration, Pan-African aspirations, and black diaspora engagement. Indeed, the American civil rights movement of the 1960s left a legacy of African diaspora identity and activism in the US.

The proposed Swahili language panel offers a unique perspective, with papers that position Swahili as a vital waterway in expressing and reimagining Black struggles and lived experiences. One paper examines Swahili and African immigrant experiences in Nairobi, focusing on language mapping in a highly diverse African city. Another paper focuses on Swahili and Black aspirations in the United States, as illustrated by the story of three Kenyan high school students who arrived in St. Louis in the early 1960s. Their contributions emphasized the enduring connection between the black American civil rights struggle, Swahili, and eastern Africa. A third paper investigates Swahili and Black Resilience, focusing on contemporary struggles for reframing social justice, well-being, and belonging.

Sub Unit

• ASWAD

Chair

• Lucy Meigs, Washington University Medical School

Individual Presentations

• Swahili and Black Aspirations in the United States: - Pasya Kashindi, Washington University in St. Louis; Daniel Kipchirchir Cheluget, Washington University in St. Louis; Mungai Mutonya

• Swahili in Reframing Covid-19 and Mental Health Experiences in Nairobi - Lucy Meigs, Washington University Medical School

• Historicizing Ghanaian Foodways and Community in New England - Alison Okuda, Worcester State University

• Economía política del placer y productores negros de cacao en América Latina - Lina Lucumi-Mosquera, University of Leicester; Meyby Ugueto-Ponce, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas; Krisna Ruette-Orihuela, University College Dublin; Ana Felicien, Universidad Federal do Para