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What's in a Name? : Unaitwaje?: A Swahili Book of Names

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Several names that ar common among those of the Swahili culture which is prevalent on coastal eastern Africa, are presented in this volume. Coastal eastern Africa is adjacent to parts of the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, and includes easternmost parts of Somalia, Kenya, and Tanzania. Here, and in some of the nearby Islands such as Zanzibar, Swahili culture alongside the Kiswahili (language) is quite prevalent. Sharifa Zawawi's introduction dwells extensively on the subject. Swahili culture developed over centuries; it is mostly based on Arab-Islam and trade influence on the east African coast that involved interactions and intermarriages with indigenous black African people. This influence extended westward to as far as Central Africa into territories like the Congo. Logically, there are parallels between Swahili, Arabic, and Islamic names. Arabic-Islamic names have been written about for centuries, Kiswahili remains one of the best developed lingua francas in Africa, and affiliated names are widely used by those of African descent.

But though this book is excellently written, one who seeks to venture deep into indigenous African naming dynamics ought to additionally seek resources which deal with many more of the regions and cultures of Africa.