Integration and identity of Swahili speakers in Britain: case studies of Zanzibari women

An interesting feature of a growing number of the recently arrived Swahili-speaking communities in Britain is their parallel integration into the British society alongside their current integration into the newly emerging spread of ‘correct Islamic rituals’ as opposed to the old traditional ‘African Islamic’ ways from the Swahili coast. The new rituals with strong authorities offer social, emotional as well as economic support in relation to life-changing factors such as birth, death and marriage, and hence, in a way, adopt the role of the traditional Swahili extended family; although at the same time, they also act as alienating factors. This paper is an initial attempt at examining the extent to which the current integration has changed the cultural values and identities of the Swahili living in Britain. It aims at describing the socio-spatial dynamics and identity formation that has transcended the ‘original’ Swahili boundaries and how these are intricately linked to religion. To this end, three case studies of Zanzibari women in the recently arrived Swahili-speaking communities of London, Milton Keynes and Northampton will be presented.