Dr. Jan Knappert (January 14, 1927, Heemstede - May 30, 2005, Hilversum, Netherlands) was a well-known expert on the Swahili language. He was also an Esperantist, and he wrote an Esperanto-Swahili dictionary. Knappert translated many literary and historical works from Swahili; including Utendi wa Tambuka ("The Epic of Heraklios"), a very early Swahili epic poem. He also translated the Finnish national epic, The Kalevala, into Swahili. Knappert taught in Leuven and London, as well as several African universities. He also participated in several Esperanto conventions in the 1970s, such as TEJO.