[1] The first literary works date back to the beginning of the 18th century, when all Swahili literature was written in Arabic script.
[2] Jan Knappert considered the translation of the Arabic poem Hamziya from the year 1652 to be the earliest Swahili written text.
One can find works written in Kiamu (see for example the poetry by Ustadh Mau),[4] Kimvita, Kipemba, Kiunguja, Kimrima, Kimtang'ata, Ki-Dar es Salaam and Ki-Nairobi which are considered varieties of Swahili.
[6] In fact, Swahili poetry has produced many secular works by poets such as Muyaka bin Ghassany and Muhammad Kijuma.
[9] Scholars, however, cite the problem in the literary classification because the association to Western genres does not correspond properly to Swahili literature.
[13] It began in the northern Kenya coastal towns of Lamu and Pate before spreading to Tanga Region, Zanzibar and other nearby areas.
[14] The poetic tradition is still alive today as pieces are often published in local newspapers or used in taraab songs and musical theater popular in Zanzibar and on the Swahili coast.
It is characterized by its homiletic aspects, heroic songs, folklore ballads and humorous dialogues which accurately depict Swahili life, cultural beliefs and traditions.