Fumo Liyongo

Biography

Fumo Liyongo (also known as Liongo Fumo) is the greatest hero in Swahili literary and oral tradition — a warrior-poet whose exploits are celebrated across the entire East African coast from Mogadishu to Mozambique. Believed to have lived during the 13th or 14th century on the island of Pate in the Lamu Archipelago, Liyongo was a prince of the Swahili city-state of Pate (or possibly Shanga) who was denied the throne and became an outlaw and warrior. He is celebrated for his extraordinary physical strength, his skill in archery and warfare, and his mastery of Swahili poetry. Liyongo's poems, some of which survive in the Swahili literary canon, are among the oldest known works of Swahili literature and address themes of heroism, betrayal, love, and exile. According to tradition, Liyongo was invulnerable to ordinary weapons, and his enemies spent years trying to discover his weakness. He was eventually betrayed by his own son, who revealed that the only way to kill him was with a copper needle inserted into his navel. Liyongo was stabbed with this needle but died standing upright, his bow drawn and an arrow pointed at his enemies, in a final act of defiance. His death, standing tall and unbowed, became the ultimate symbol of Swahili courage and dignity.