Swahili a Literature Past Papers 2026

IB Swahili a Literature is a Group 1 Studies in Language and Literature subject offered to students whose first language or heritage language is Swahili (Kiswahili). Swahili (Kiswahili) is spoken by approximately 200 million in East Africa — Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, DRC, and the Swahili Coast. Kiswahili has a distinguished literary tradition beginning with classical Swahili coastal poetry (tendi and utenzi) from the 18th century through rich post-independence East African prose and poetry. Swahili serves as a major lingua franca of sub-Saharan Africa. Students who sit this course bring a deep cultural connection to the language, and examiners expect engagement with the literary and cultural context of Swahili (Kiswahili)-language texts.

The IB Swahili a Literature curriculum requires students to study a range of texts — poetry, prose, and drama — drawn from the Swahili (Kiswahili) literary tradition. Distinguished voices such as Shaaban Robert, Euphrase Kezilahabi, Abdulrazak Gurnah (Nobel laureate) are representative of the kinds of authors and works that may be studied. Past papers for this subject include Paper 1 (textual commentary) and Paper 2 (comparative literary essay).