Ben Mtobwa’s Joram Kiango is Batman

A brief essay review on his famous book “Najiskia Kuua Tena"

We don’t often read Kiswahili novels. We last read them in high school as set books. We don’t even buy Kiswahili novels. The last Kiswahili novel I read was Rosa Mistika last year as a challenge to myself so as to improve my Kiswahili fluency. Before that, I last read a Kiswahili book of any kind in high school. But now I have read another, the classic detective novel Najisikia Kuua Tena by Ben Mtobwa.

I am rightly excited about this book and Mtobwa’s oeuvre in general (I have two more of his books in my possession) because his books are not set books. They are not written for didactic purposes, but rather to be enjoyed. It’s popular fiction. Najiskia Kuua Tena is a detective novel in the lone detective tradition of Raymond Chandler.

Joram Kiango, the private eye in this book reminds me of Chandler’s private eye Philip Marlowe. Just like Marlowe, Joram is a fearless, masterful, skilled detective who works alone. Most importantly, just like Marlowe, Joram has a sense of honour. He has rules. Joram does not kill.

This is the same state of mind embodied by another most famous detective: Batman. Yes, Batman is a detective. Remember that the only reason Batman appeared was to deal with the issue of rampant crime in Gotham City. Remember that he does not have any super powers.

Batman is a lone detective working in the shadows to do the work that the police are not able to do. He relies on his wits, guts, and something most detective heroes lack: money.

For Batman, Gotham City is what Los Angeles is to Philip Marlowe and Dar es Salaam is to Joram Kiango. One of the more popular Ben Mtobwa books is Dar es Salaam Usiku.

The story has multiple characters and multiple narratives. Joram Kiango doesn’t come into the story until later. The plotting and weaving together of the complex tapestry of narratives is done masterfully.

I think I was just excited that a Kiswahili novel could give me the exact same thrills plot-wise that I get from Raymond Chandler.

There is a serial killer on the loose in Dar es Salaam. The police have no clue how to catch him and are continuously outsmarted by the killer. Joram Kiango, the intrepid young hero who knows how to deliver “pigo la judo” and “pigo la karate” comes in and begins to do his own private investigations. We witness how dedication, scrappiness and the correct use of wits can help a lone hero outdo entire organizations.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but I’ll say this. The book is about more than a serial killer. What is at stake is something more interesting and exciting, especially to students of politics and history.

The book was published in 1984. Ben Mtobwa is a Tanzanian writer. He died in 2008. He was one of the pioneers of popular fiction in the Kiswahili language.