Precolonial soundscapes of Swahili coastal towns in East Africa

ABSTRACT This paper aims to open the discussion on the characteristics of the acoustic landscapes in precolonial Swahili towns on the East African coast, where this theme to date remains unstudied. The paper focuses on assessing some aspects of the acoustic experience in the precolonial period of AD 1200–1600 respective to the towns and to coral-rag houses, which represent one type of building recorded on Swahili archaeological sites. Due to the limited preservation of buildings on the East African coast, and the fact that many of them have been deserted under the growing influence of Omani and European colonialism, both experimental and ethnoarchaeological studies could provide only limited information on any aspect of past sensory experience in these towns. Therefore, this paper defines some major characteristics of soundscapes in this region using analyses of the acoustic capacities and spatial dimensions of the Swahili built environment, while reflecting on selected themes that played a strong part in Swahili social environment, such as trade and Islam. The presented case study from sub-Saharan Africa aims to contribute to the global discussions on sensory experience in urban societies, where examples from coastal tropics are acutely needed.