Nairobi, Kenya, March 14^th, 2022

Nsemia Inc. Publishers announces plans to bring selected Swedish literature to the global Kiswahili reading community. In turn, Swedish partners will work to translate selected works published by Nsemia Inc Publishers to Swedish language readers.

This follows successful execution in translating into Kiswahili published works by Anisur Rahman; works that were originally published in Swedish language and later translated into English.

It is also a result of the planned publication of a trilingual literary anthology from a writing workshop conducted by Swedish Writers’ Union Board member Anisur Rahman together with one of our writers and poet Christopher Okemwa. The workshop was supported by the Embassy of Sweden in Nairobi.

Commenting on the plans, Swedish Writers’ Union Board, Anisur Rahman, said he was excited to be at the centre of this initiative that will result in a wider reach of both Swedish language and Kiswahili readers.

Poet Rahman expressed satisfaction with the arrangement especially after successfully working with others like Seynab Haji of Tanzania, Kelvin Motuka of Kenya, and Dr. Christopher Okemwa of Kisii University and Kistretch International Festival.

The collaborative arrangement will focus on a broad range of published works including novels, short stories, poetry, children’s books, and drama, all intended for readers in Kiswahili and other indigenous languages in East Africa and the rest of the continent.

Kiswahili, which originated on the East African coast, is spoken by more than 200 million people mainly on the African continent. It is an official language in many countries in the region. There is an extensive body of publication of creative and scholarly works in the language.

Ultimately, this initiative will contribute towards greater global understanding among peoples of different cultures and languages through the appreciation of one another’s written works.

About us:

Nsemia Inc. Publishers is a publishing house in Kenya with a wide reach in East, Central and Southern Africa and with operating channels in different countries, specifically in Kenya and Canada. We have published more than 100 books in different genres such as novels, short stories, plays, poetry, essays, biographies as well as academic and research. In addition, it has published translated works in Kiswahili, indigenous languages, and English.  Nsemia Inc. Publishers has extended its publishing network into different countries in Scandinavia, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas (including the Caribbean).