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Mwana Kupona, whose birth date is sometime in the early 1800s, died around 1860. \u00a0She was married to Bwana Mateka, Sheikh of Siu, who figured prominently in the conflicts involving the Omani Sultan of Zanzibar, Sa’id Sayyid (1791 – 1856).<\/p>\n
For\u00a0more on what we know about her see\u00a0JWT Allen, Werner & Hichens, and Harries\u00a0(see Bibliography)<\/p>\n
Her only poem that has survived is her utenzi <\/em>reproduced here. Undoubtedly she had written more, but they have\u00a0not survived.<\/p>\n To view a copy of the poem written in the Swahili-Arabic script and to listen to it recited, go to:<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.swahilimanuscripts.soas.ac.uk\/swahili\/mwana_kupona\/mwana_kupona_1.htm<\/p>\n NB: \u00a0The MS and recitation on the SOAS site varies somewhat from the version published on this site.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Mwana Kupona, whose birth date is sometime in the early 1800s, died around 1860. \u00a0She was married to Bwana Mateka, Sheikh of Siu, who figured prominently in the conflicts involving the Omani Sultan of Zanzibar, Sa’id Sayyid (1791 – 1856). For\u00a0more on what we know about her see\u00a0JWT Allen, Werner & Hichens, and Harries\u00a0(see Bibliography) … Continue reading Mwana Kupona<\/span>