古老的民间文学传统东非各族人民都有自己的民间文学传统,在坦噶尼喀、肯尼亚、尼亚萨兰、桑给巴尔,最有影响的是斯瓦希里语的文学;在乌干达,除斯瓦希里语的以外,还有巴干达族的民间文学。在各族人民中还流行各种方言的口头文学。早在公元七世纪起,斯瓦希里语的口头文学,就有一部分开始用阿拉伯字母拼音记录下来。经过—千多年,从十九世纪中叶起,有人开始用拉丁字母拼写的斯瓦希里语从事文学创作。东非各族的民间文学是丰富 Ancient Folk Literature Traditions The people of all ethnic groups in East Africa have their own folklore tradition. The most influential language in Swaziland is in Tanganyika, Kenya, Nyasaland and Zanzibar. In Uganda, In addition to Swahili, there are also Bagdad folk literature. Oral literature of various dialects is also popular in all ethnic groups. As early as the seventh century AD, some of Swahili’s oral literature began to be recorded in Arabic alphabet. After more than a thousand years, from the middle of the nineteenth century, some people began to write literature in the Kathmandu language spelled in the Latin alphabet. The folk literature of all ethnic groups in East Africa is rich