From the Streets to the Ivory Tower: Kiswahili in African-American Cultural Discourse

"From the Streets to the Ivory Tower" provides an overview of the role Kiswahili, an East African language, has played in African-American cultural discourse. Highlighting selected texts, the essay argues Kiswahili contests the presumed primacy of Western languages and cultures and serves a transgressive, albeit somewhat contested, role in the burgeoning manifestations of Black Power/Nationalism/Diaspora. Debates about the language's efficacy were common in academic and popular journals in the middle and second half of the twentieth century; however, all arguments notwithstanding, Kiswahili remains a recognizable, commonly taught, and often referenced African language—from literary texts (Scott-Heron, Killens, Reed) to advertisements (Afro Sheen) to cultural celebrations (Kwanzaa) to children's books (Feelings)—in African-American discourse.