Kazimoto as an “Unreliable Narrator” in a Contemporary Swahili Novel Kichwamaji

Abstract

This study deals with the novel written by one of the most prominent Tanzanian Swahili authors Euphrase Kezilahabi. His second novel Kichwamaji has an experimental style of ending. Kazimoto, who is the protagonist as well as the narrator of the novel, kills himself at the last chapter. After his death, a new unknown narrator suddenly appears to show how the press reports his death. At the very last, one poem is set without any explanation. Such multiplicity of narrations in a first-person novel inevitably relativizes the authority of first-person narrator. Therefore this ending possibly induces readers to reevaluate the reliance on Kazimoto's narration.
Reevaluation of his narration reveals that his self-reference contradicts his and other's behavior. He describes himself as an elite alienated from his native village. However in reality, he actively participates in village events and maintains close human relations with villagers, and they also regard Kazimoto as a member of their village.
In this study, Kazimoto is considered as an “unreliable narrator”, who incorrectly narrates the image of himself and his surroundings by creating a misbelief. This term, used in modern literary theory, will explain the novel's narrative style, and contribute to a better understanding of the author Kezilahabi, who is said to be the pioneer of Swahili experimental novel.