The colonized regions, so English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese became the official languages in these countries after the decline of local languages.

3 - East African Countries a) Swahili Literature: The first to compose Swahili poems in the East African region were poets of Arab or Persian origin. Swahili poetry touched upon Islamic themes, and Swahili poets also used a number of poetic meters derived from Arabic meters, such as the *rubaiyat*, which dealt with religious and secular purposes, and there were other poems that also used the *mukhammas*.

"Kilwa" and "Pate" are considered among the oldest manuscripts found on the East African coast, and they were written in Arabic. Arabic inscriptions dating back to before the 8th century AD were also found, but these remains may belong to Arabs who migrated to the region.

Composition in the Swahili language began with poetry, and the first poems dating back to the 18th century AD were didactic. The most prominent of these is the poem "Al-Hamziyyah" by Sheikh Aidarus bin Othman bin Ali, which is a translation from Arabic of a poem by Sharaf al-Din al-Busiri. There are other religious verses translated by their authors from Arabic poems.

Epic poetry represents the most prominent heritage of the Swahili language, and its themes and forms were influenced by Arabic literature as well as Persian. Among the Swahili epics are "Al-Muhammadiyyah," which is considered one of the most famous and longest epics in the Swahili language, and its theme is the biography of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). There is also the epic "Ras al-Ghoul," whose theme is a campaign sent by Caliph Ali bin Abi Talib to Yemen, and the epic "Al-Tambukani," which is one of the oldest Swahili epics and speaks of the campaign of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) against Heraclius, Emperor of the Romans. Likewise, the epic "Al-Husayniyyah" narrates the biography of Al-Husayn bin Ali, and other epics composed on Islamic and historical themes.