Newspaper serials: crime and justice in shigongo’s “kifo ni haki yangu” [“death is my right”] and “kumbukumbu za kuzimu”[“memories of hell”]

This study examined the presentation of Crime and Justice in newspaper serials “Kifo ni Haki Yangu” [Death is My Right] and “Kumbukumbu za Kuzimu” [Memories of Hell] written by Shigongo. The study explored the presentation of the motif of crime and justice, specifically rape and murder together with the justice system surrounding the crimes. The study also examined the way the motif of crime (rape and murder) and justice builds and shapes the central idea (s) in the newspaper serials under the review. This study established that in both serials, rape and murder reflect the socio-cultural structure of the given society. In both serials, rape and murder interrogate the society’s social structure and system of justice. The study also establishes that in the studied serials, the motif is the building block of thematization. In particular, the study established that characterization in Shigongo’s studied serials indicates that crime fiction imaginatively captures socio-cultural and political conditions. In conclusion, the study recommends that this is one area that needs a lot of scholarly attention considering the popularity of such serials in Tanzanian Swahili press. One can also examine the post-serialization publication of Shigongo’s works in relation to the original serial production.