‘Dragonfly Monsoon’ and Imagined Oceans: In Search of Poem-Maps of the Swahili Seas Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor M.A. University of Reading, UK B.A. Kenyatta University, Kenya A thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2014 The School of Communications and Arts Abstract To what extent can a ‘text’ borne in memory give texture, perspectives, meaning, dimensionality and sense to a place? Where is the ‘locus of meaning’ in such a case? Can this locus be traced (mapped, narrated, found)? These questions about Swahili navigational poetry (poem-maps) specific to the Western Indian Ocean first motivated this study. Can such repositories of sea experiences be read for biographical threads of the water body to which they refer? As the search for answers to these questions progressed in the course of the study, it emerged that studies of the Western Indian Ocean’s intimate and imagined geographies through the lives and memories – individual and collective, private and institutional - of those who have had the closest and most extensive relationship with it were not, at present, easily available. The quest turned to narratives in and of the interstices, the ‘small stories’ (micro-narratives), those seemingly ordinary tales of encounter and experience that get obliterated in the retelling of overarching historical (‘China in Africa’) and geographical (‘The Indian Ocean’) phenomena. This thesis, Dragonfly Monsoon (novel excerpt) and Imagined Oceans: in search of poem-maps of the Swahili Seas, becomes an effort to story the ocean. The project does this by drawing from the memories and selected sea poetry of Zanzibar-based Haji Gora Haji, a living mariner, and the maritime lives of fictional mariners who, with Haji Gora Haji, inhabit these shores and waters. The creative project of this thesis is an excerpt from a novel-in-progress (‘Dragonfly Monsoon’). This is the story of a young woman’s coming-of-age in the mercurial milieu of the Indian Ocean, and her embodiment of these seas, their idiosyncrasies and aesthetics, in her life journey. The critical paper, on the other hand, examines the selected sea poetry of a man who has been seafarer, minstrel, fisherman, and now poet. The mariner’s words portray movement, collapse time and space in a place; they suggest signposts while also giving sound and vision to some of the ways of the Swahili Seas. The work is also a brief reflection on how a man and his word might come to embody a place. It takes up an experiential approach stimulated by Bertrand Westphal’s geocriticism. However, this project ends up seeking not just Westphal’s ‘single author’ but ‘the alternate’ author’ assigned to the ‘margins’, who offers his ‘body’ and ‘voice’ to ‘tell’ a story of his ocean. Declaration by author This thesis is composed of my original work, and contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text. I have clearly stated the contribution by others to jointly-authored works that I have included in my thesis. I have clearly stated the contribution of others to my thesis as a whole, including statistical assistance, survey design, data analysis, significant technical procedures, professional editorial advice, and any other original research work used or reported in my thesis. The content of my thesis is the result of work I have carried out since the commencement of my research higher degree candidature and does not include a substantial part of work that has been submitted to qualify for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution. I have clearly stated which parts of my thesis, if any, have been submitted to qualify for another award. I acknowledge that an electronic copy of my thesis must be lodged with the University Library and, subject to the General Award Rules of The University of Queensland, immediately made available for research and study in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968. I acknowledge that copyright of all material contained in my thesis resides with the copyright holder(s) of that material. Where appropriate I have obtained copyright permission from the copyright holder to reproduce material in this thesis. ii Publications during candidature No publications. Publications included in this thesis No publications Contributions by others to the thesis No contributions by others. Statement of parts of the thesis submitted to qualify for the award of another degree None. iii Acknowledgements The impetus for this study would not have been possible without the generous support of the University of Queensland’s Centennial Scholarship, the UQIPRS, and the School of English, Media Studies and Art History, that provided additional financial support which allowed me two and half incredible years of freedom to explore, read, research, reflect, study and write. This ‘adventure’ unfolded because of the unstinting, risk-taking support of my exceptional supervisor Dr. Venero Armanno, under whose guidance I have grown in new ways, and learned to also take risks with story. The unexpected, profound and humbling gift of this encounter and mentorship is something I shall always cherish. Thank you, Veny for your patience, brilliance, story sense, humour, kindness and vision. To my secondary supervisor Professor Gillian Whitlock, for your clarity, panoptic gaze, truth, capacity for witness, genius, courage and profound humanity which has deepened for me the idea of conscious and engaged being. There will never be words enough to explain what these life changing two and half years have been because of you, my supervisors. With all my soul, thank you. To the gallery of brilliant lights that touched my sojourn so profoundly: Professor Carole Ferrier, Dr. Stuart Glover, and the literary communities and reading groups that came together around themes, processes and ideas: Thank you. This thesis is especially dedicated to the entire EMSAH team, and specifically to all those who so wonderfully, effectively and professionally administer the Creative Writing section of things—Catherine Squirrell, Angela Tuohy and Stormy Wehi. Thank you all so much. My deep gratitude to the treasure that is Mzee Haji Gora Haji—poet, seafarer, and project interlocutor, who stimulated the long ago questions that led to this study. You gave of your experiences, vision, time, words, heart, lyrics, and shared your ocean with such generosity. Asante sana. Thank you Hamza Aussiy, artist, unexpected companion in the quest, for helping find Mzee Gora and sending out scouts to find the original Swahili name for the ocean, and translating data. Hildegard Kiel, thank you for the ‘home’, and for hunting down ‘mythical’ Philippe Roisse, who emerged to embody an adage offered to would-be scholars: ‘if you imagine it, you can be certain that somebody else imagined it before you.’ Now I tiptoe along scholarly corridors with my figurative tail tucked between legs, and am the better for it. To the Brisbane community who took me, a stranger, to their hearts and therefore stole mine forever, to friends made, my beloved surrogate family Kay and Paul Bertini, Fr. Brian for spiritual succour in a season of excruciating anguish—thank you and the St. James Coorparoo community. Thank you Salvina Kelly, and Barbara Flynn. Thank you to every newfound sibling in Australia-- Peter Onyango who with patience and amusement ‘mapped’ Brisbane for me, Danielle Bozin who iv encouraged, exhorted, and consoled; Esther Onyango, Sarah and, Tristan Callinan, Giang Nguyen, fellow ‘musketeers’ in this expedition, intellectual sparring partners, and also sanctuaries to retreat to when needed. You prove that family is a boundary-less concept. Thank you to my landladies, Michelle and Bernadette, inspiring women who offered more than a place to call ‘home’. Professor Abdul Sheriff provided both moral and practical support and, together with Dr. George Abungu, Sheikh Ahmed Nabahany and Professor Farouk Topan, was an early supporter of the project. Framing this study would not have been possible without the help of: Professor Wambui Mwangi formerly of the University of Toronto; Dr. Keguro Macharia, formerly of the University of Maryland, who gave so freely of his mind, time and heart to help edit the story and review the critical paper; Indian Ocean scholar Professor Bettina Ngweno of UCLA Davis; Dr. Sheila Ochugboju technologist, thinker, friend; Performance Scholar and connector, Dr. Mshai Mwangola, of the Africa Leadership Centre who adopted this work and summoned people to engage with the theme, including Member of Parliament for the East African Assembly, Hon. Zein Abubakar Zein and Mr. Ngari Gituku, great souls who took time off mad schedules to explore the topic’s questions and help translate the poems. My thanks to brilliant Dr. Clarissa Vierke steeped in the universe of Swahili poetry, who made sense of one of the sea poems; Professor R. Beck, who aided my quest for relevant literature; Dr. Doreen Strauss and Professor Lutz Diegner who made introductions and share contacts. Thank you all so very much. Profound thanks to my cherished family: mama Mary Sero Owuor, and my beloved father, Tom Diju Owuor, whose soul went walkabout in the first year of my sojourn here. This one is truly for you, my daddy. To Caroline Alango—thank you beautiful sis, for your constant encouragement, support and presence from the start. To all my other siblings, in-laws, nieces, nephew, I dream, toil and search because you exist, because you love unconditionally, because you believe, because you want to know. Thank you. Ayaan’s China story is motivated by the real-life Mwamaka Sharifu. Apart from Pate Island and the China travel nothing of the events in this story is of and in Mwamaka’s life. I want to acknowledge a short film by Sippy Chadha, Subira, as the inspiration for Ayaan’s swimming obsession.