Ahmed Sheikh Nabhany

Ahmed Sheikh Nabhany (27 November 1927 – 23 February 2017) was a Kenyan academic scholar, poet, lexicologist, historian and professor often regarded as the father of modern Swahili poetry. He was the recipient of The Order of the Grand Warrior (O.G.W).

Early life and education Nabhany was born on 27 November 1927, in Matondoni, Lamu County, Kenya. He was raised by the grandmother, Amina Abubakar Sheikh because his parents died at his tender age. Nabhany started writing and self composing poems at 12, taught by his grandmother who was also a poet.

Career After Nabhany had moved into Mombasa where he worked as a government official, and as a civil servant, he taught many Kiswahili students from several Europe. He also aided the foundation of the National Museums of Kenya and operated the Research institute of Swahili studies of Eastern Africa.

Nabhany is known for writing poems of Swahili life genre. He wrote mostly didactic poetry on religious practice such as Mwangaza wa Dini (1976) in Kiswahili, and Sambo ya Kiwandeo (1979). Nabhany was also credited with assisting in the collection of Swahili and Arabic manuscripts for the University of Dar es Salaam as well as the translation of Swahili Arabic manuscripts for the Hamburg University in Germany. He won The Order of the Grand Warrior,

Selected works

Nabhany, A. S. (1985). Umbuji wa mnazi: Ahmed Sheikh Nabhany; mhariri A.A.A. El-Maawy. Kenya: East African Publishing House. Nabhany, A. S. (1979). Sambo ya Kiwandeo: utungo wa Ahmed Sheikh Nabhany kwa bahari ya ut̲end̲i. Leiden, Netherlands: Afrika-Studiecentrum. Sheikh, A. A., Nabhany, A. S. (1972). Utendi wa Mwana Kupona: na Utendi wa Ngamia na Paa. Tanzania: Heinemann Educational Books.

Anthologies