James de Vere Allen, who was curator at Lamu Museum, set out to give modern Swahili evidence of their shared history during a period of eight centuries.Kiswahili has become the lingua franca of eastern Africa and yet the history of the Swahili peoples has remained elusive. Some have described themselves as Arabs, as Persians, or even in one place as Portuguese. This book is Jamesde Vere Allen's major study of the origin of the Swahili peoples and their cultural identity.North America: Ohio U Press; Kenya: EAEP
