Continuity and Adaptation by Contemporary Swahili Boatbuilders in Kenya

The Swahili world extends from Somalia in the north to Mozambique in the south, and occupies the space between the land mass of the African continent and the Indian Ocean. While Swahili traders and their language and culture have penetrated and enriched East Africa, much of their orientation continues to be towards the sea and the countries that border the Indian Ocean. In Kenya, one of the main ways that the Swahili people (WaSwahili) distinguish themselves from their non-Swahili neighbours is to refer to them as the watu wa bara (inland people).