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Spemba ES

Name
Spemba Elias Spemba

Academic Rank
Senior Lecturer

Department
Languages and Literature

Biography

Biography

Spemba Elias Spemba is a distinguished researcher and academic. He is a Senior Lecturer of Literary and Cultural Studies at the Department of Languages and Literature at Mkwawa University College of Education, A Constituent College of the University of Dar es Salaam. He earned his Bachelor Degree and Masters from the University of Dar es Salaam and has a PhD in English Studies (specialising in literary and cultural studies) from Stellenbosch University. 

Contacts

Email:

Email Address
spemba.spemba@muce.ac.tz

Research Interest

Research Interest
1. Literary and cultural narratives, 2. Representations of gender, disease, and African philosophy in relation to indigenous knowledge, relationality and difference. 3. Bongo Fleva, vulnerability, disability, albinism, and media studies

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Projects

Publications

Publications

1. Spemba, S. E. (2026). “Representations of Albinism in YouTube Short Documentaries: Viewers’ Comments as Heterotopic Spaces for Countering the Marginalisation of People with Albinism.” Journal of African Cultural Studies, 38(2), 188–206. https://doi.org/10.1080/13696815.2026.2660633.
2. Spemba, S. E. (2026). “Vulnerability and Empowerment of Persons with Albinism in Tara Sullivan’s Golden Boy.” Cogent Arts & Humanities, 13(1), Article 2637917. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2026.2637917.

3. Kisake, Claudio G.; Yisega, Sophilini M.; and Spemba, Spemba E. (2026) "Resilience in Place Names: German-Hehe War Memories and Cultural Identity in Iringa Toponyms," Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences: Vol. 09: No. 1, Article 8. https://doi.org/10.65085/2467-4745.1149
4. Spemba, S. E., & Mwaifuge, E. S. (2025). ‘One people, one destiny’: Integrated selves and ‘kinships’ of nations in the East African Community’s and founding member states’ anthems. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 12(1), Article 2298432. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2024.2298432

5. Spemba, S. E. (2025). Intertextuality, historical and contemporary perspectives regarding albinism in Petina Gappah's The Book of Memory. In Activating arts to understand disability in Africa: Inclusive explanations (Vol. 1, pp. 176–187). Routledge.

6. Spemba, S. E. (2023). Altruism and agency: Fictional representations of albino vulnerability in Elias Mutani’s Human Poachers. Eastern African Literary and Cultural Studies, 9(3), 171–185. https://doi.org/10.1080/23277408.2023.2188565

7. Spemba, S. E. (2016). Living the stanzas of Bongo Fleva: Its light and dark sides. Kioo cha Lugha, 14(1), 111–128.

8. Spemba, S. E. (2022). Agentive intertextual insertions: (Re)presentation of albinism in Nwelezelanga: The Star Child’s subtext. Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences (JHSS), 11(1), 1–18.

9. Spemba, S. E. (2023). Sociality and agency in Mandisi Bongelo's "I am a Human Being—Fresh and Spirit". UMMA: The Journal of Contemporary Literature and Creative Arts, 10(2), 219–241.

10. Spemba, S. E., & Mung'aya, Y. (2023). Intertextuality and narrativization of multiple perspectives: COVID-19 pandemic in popular songs in Tanzania. Humanities and Social Sciences, 2(1), 47–66.

Theses/Dissertations

11. Spemba, S. E. (2022). Representation of albinism and persons with albinism in narratives from East and Southern Africa [Doctoral dissertation, Stellenbosch University]. SUNScholar Research Repository.

12. Spemba, S. E. (2017). The portrayal of women in selected Bongo Fleva songs [Master’s thesis, University of Dar-es-Salaam]. University of Dar-es-Salaam Repository.