It’s not just catechesis: Swahili educational and moralising literature published by Ndanda Mission Press

Authors

  • Cristina Nicolini University of Turin

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13135/1825-263X/12687

Abstract

This paper analyses a rich selection of educational and moralising novellas and novelettes written in Swahili and published by the Benedictine Ndanda Missionary Press in Tanzania. The analysis investigates nineteen Swahili fictional texts as a way of ‘preaching’ moral virtues in an African language, which convey catechetical knowledge: the Ten Commandments and the Sacraments. The texts will be examined as examples of ‘intercultural exegesis’ of the Scriptures and as media enacting Christian ‘meta-praxis’. This paper illustrates how these Swahili popular novelettes can be interpreted as creative means of disseminating Christian ethics through the Swahili language, thus contributing to the development of catechetical epistemology and lexicon.

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Author Biography

Cristina Nicolini, University of Turin

Cristina Nicolini, Ph.D. is a post-doctoral researcher working on Swahili literature and African philosophy. Cristina obtained a PhD degree in “African Languages and Cultures” (School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London); a Bachelor’s degree in “Oriental and African Languages and Cultures” cum laude (University of Naples “L’Orientale”); a Master’s degree in “Sciences of Languages, History and Cultures of Mediterranean and Islamic Countries” cum laude (University of Naples “L’Orientale”); and a II level Master’s degree in “Economics and Institutions of Islamic Countries” cum laude (LUISS Guido Carli, Rome).

Cristina has been teaching Swahili Language and African Cultures at the University for Foreigners of Siena since 2023. She completed a postdoc research project on “Swahili Literature and Afrophone Philosophy” (REF. 40.23.0.006SL) funded by The Fritz Thyssen Foundation and hosted at the University of Naples “L’Orientale” in 2023/2024. She also conducted post-doctoral research at the University of Turin within the framework of InALC – “Investigating African Languages and Cultures” (PRIN n. 2022XMRNF9) in 2024/2025. Currently, she is a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Turin working on the project “Expanding a language, setting its boundaries: Ausbau, neologisms and loanwords in Afroasiatic languages.”

Cristina can be contacted at: cristina.nicolini@unito.it

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Published

2026-01-10

Issue

Vol. 29 No. 1 (2025): Kervan 29

Section

Articles

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