His Life
The author is a Professor of Kiswahili who for a long time taught at Egerton University Njoro, before relocating to Rwanda. He was a visiting professor at Kyabongo university, Uganda and current Dean, School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Pwani University, Kilifi Kenya. Chimera holds a B.Ed. and M.A. from Kenyatta University, and a Ph.D. from Ohio University
His Works
His published works include Kiswahili: Past, Present and Future Horizons, which was in 2002 voted 100 best books of the 20th century in Africa. His Ufundishaji wa Fasihi: Nadharia na Mbinu (co-authored with Kimani Njogu) won the Noma Award in 2000.
He is a playwright, notable for his historical play, Mnara Wawaka Moto (2003) and an academic who has been instrumental in the development of the technical terms in the Kiswahili language in Kenya.
His novel Nyongo Mkalia Ini (1995) set in the 1970s Coastal town of Gongwa (an old poetic name for Mombasa), revolves around the central character Juma Mumanyi, an employee in a company headed by the cruel Khalifa, who amassed his wealth by teaming up with Amur Zeid in illegal ventures. He peddled drugs and sold illicit ivory, whereas Amur Zeid who inherits sizable wealth from his Arab foster parents became a medicine man. The novel ends with the unravelling of Khalifa’s illicit deals and his arrest. The events in this novel tend to be tied together in episodic manner, giving the novel some sort of episodic plot but Chimerah makes use of metaphorical language and enticingly vivid imagery.
His latest and most ambitious work he says is Siri Sirini, a trilogy. In it, Chimera incorporates oral history to delve into the past, the present and even foretell the future. He uses the kernels of the Swahili cultural hero and legend Fumo Liyongo, Mwana Kupona Binti Mshamu, a Swahili poetess, to weave a powerful story that is captivating and entertaining.
The first part, Mfungwa na Mshairi published in 2013. The other two parts Mpiga Mbizi Kilindini and Mtihani wa Mwanamke were both published in 2014.
References
- Bertoncini-Zúbková, Elena (December 1989). Outline of Swahili Literature: Prose, Fiction and Drama. Brill. ISBN90-04-08504-1
- https://nation.africa/kenya/life-and-style/weekend/prof-chimera-it-is-the-season-of-harvest-for-kiswahili-in-the-region-436880
- https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000145464/secret-of-swahili-literature-is-out