Not so long ago, Christopher John's days were spent herding his family's goats and cows in a rural part of Zanzibar, the tropical island off the coast of Tanzania. But he always loved music and used ...

"First published 2014 by Ashgate Publishing"--Title page verso. AFA copy Purchased from the Warren M. Robbins Library Endowment. "The musical genre of taarab is played for entertainment at weddings ...

In Zanzibar, taarab music is finding new patrons, scholars and audiences. I would sit beside him listening to the music, drumming on tables and anything else I could find Musician Mohammed Issa Matona ...

Zanzibar music lovers everywhere are mourning the loss of legendary musician Makame Faki Makame, who died on January 18, 2020, at the age of 77, at Global hospital in Stone Town, Zanzibar, following a ...

When Zanzibar-born Taarab icon Fatuma binti Baraka alias Bi Kidude passed on at a golden age of 102 in April 2013, all eyes were on the genre’s rising stars, emblems of the music’s future. Among them ...

For the best experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Taarab icon Bi Kidude. [Courtesy] There was Taarab, and now there is Rusha Roho Taarab ...

The traditional music known as taarab was fading away — until a school began giving lessons to aspiring musicians. Not so long ago, Christopher John's days were spent herding his family's goats and ...