Haji Gora Haji

Haji Gora Haji (1933 – 11 June 2021) was a Swahili-language poet, lyricist, and writer from the Zanzibar archipelago. He channeled his expansive knowledge of the culture and society of the Swahili coast, especially his homeland of Tumbatu, into his works. His father was Gora Haji, a respected sea captain and fisherman, and his mother was Mize Mjumbe Juma, a homemaker. These poems were primarily in the mashairi genre and often comments, or replies to verses by other poets.

Translations of his works have also appeared in German. He also took part in international events like the Poetry International Festival Rotterdam (1999), where he represented Swahili poetry.

In 2001, during the celebration of Kiswahili Day in Dar es Salaam, he was honored by BAKITA (Baraza la Kiswahili la Taifa), the National Swahili Council, for his literary work and contributions to the growth of Kiswahili as a literary language. He had been a member of the organization between 1980 and 1982 and had received several other awards from it. He was also a member of BAKIZA (Baraza la Kiswahili Zanzibar), the Zanzibar Swahili Council, between 2001 and 2003.

He also received the ZIFF Lifetime Achievement Laureate. Zanzibari journalist Ally Saleh wrote a biography of Haji Gora, Maisha ya Haji Gora (The Life of Haji Gora), which was published in 2016.