Our latest two-part installment of Afropop Worldwide's vignettes brings us to the beautiful, yet complex region of East Africa.  In this edition we focus attention to Tanzania, Kenya and Zanzibar.  From East African taarab to Hip-Hop, there's a plentiful selection of musical styles for every music lover. 

KENYA:

Kenya's many different ethnicities account for the wonderful diversity of Kenyan rhythms.  Many musicians sing solely in the traditional language of their own people. The Kikuyu-speaking people of the Central Province and Nairobi are Kenya's most populous ethnic group.  Kikuyu musicians have such a large base audience among their own people that they do not need to sing in Swahili or English in order to reach many listeners. Other artists, including Simba Wanyika, pen their lyrics in Swahili.  Musicians may also sing in English or Lingale (Congolese), with the hope of attracting international and urban audiences. Super Mazembe settled the issue by deciding to record in a number of languages: Nyanga for Zambia, Swahili for Kenya and Tanzania, and Lingale for their Congolese fans.

Click here to learn more about Kenya and its famous music styles, benga and taarab!

Great Kenyan musicians!

Until their break-up in the early 1990s, Orchestre Virunga was one of Kenya's most exciting groups and Samba Mapangala perhaps the country's greatest talent.

Eric Wainaina's wide influences include everything from ABBA and Paul Simon to Youssou N'Dour and Papa Wemba, thanks largely to Nairobi's place as a crossroads for several musical styles.

From the mid 1970s up until the 80s, Super Mazembe was a classic, guitar driven, African urban boogie band.

Brothers Wilson and George Peter Kinyonga launched the extremely successful Kenyan rumba group, Simba Wanyika.

AfroFunk rises again! Sila & the AfroFunk Experience brings a funky fusion of African rhythm, American funk, Soukous, Afrobeat and reggae back into the spotlight.

And if you're still hungering for more of that great Kenyan rhythm...

Try these past features and CD reviews!

Dar es Salaam, the "City of Peace," puts Tanzania on the map musically as well as serving as its coastal capital. Tanzania boasts a wide variety of musical styles, and though its recent governments may not have supported its scene, fans and audiences certainly do. The music scene in Tanzania is changing quite a bit: where in the past, guitar bands dominated the airwaves, young rap and reggae acts are enjoying wild popularity, and taarab's beautiful blending of Indian, African and Arab influences can still be widely heard in Tanzania and especially on the island of Zanzibar. Read more about taarab's role in the East African music scene, and get to know some of Tanzania's mainland mainstays below, by looking at some of the artists and musical styles who have made the Tanzanian music scene what it is today.

The endlessly charistmatic Saida Karoli is known as "the Queen" of Tanzanian roots pop. Her career took off in 2001, showcasing her undeniable talent as a drummer, singer and composer. And Karoli's roots in northern Tanzania, rather than the coastal city of Dar es Salaam, meant that she was soon heard all over Uganda and Kenya as well, even performing for the Ugandan King! She's come a long way from singing at the age of 5, when, as she told Afropop, her parents could no longer afford to send her to school. In the last five years, she has become a household name, especially in Uganda where her Haya language is widely spoken. 

Until recently, Tanzania's airwaves and dance halls primarily played Musiki wa dansi, the guitar bands that still stand as great memories of Tanzania's musical past - and inspiration for its future, as new generations of guitar bands form in Dar. Bands such as Ottu Jazz Band (whose name has transformed over the years) and celebrated followers Mlimani Park Orchestra serve as a reminder of what the Tanzanian music scene once was.

Today, things have changed a bit on the radio in Tanzania, though the dansi sound still flourishes when the lights go down. Bongo Flava is what's hip in the big city these days; even songbird Saida doesn't resist a bit of street rap influence in her newer songs. Bongo Flava is the popular rap and reggae sound that combines influences of the United States and the Congo, while giving voice to its young performers. Read more about Tanzania's breakout Bongo Flava style from Afropop's 2004 look into Dar es Salaam.

The country of Zanzibar, also known as the "Spice Islands," is made up of two African islands: Unguja and Pemba.  Long popular for it's accessible ports and bountiful offerings in spices (cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and pepper), Zanzibar--the land and her people--have been courted and influenced by colonizers and traders from the Middle East, India and Europe. Although still a part of   Tanzania, Zanzibar is an independent country fastly on the rise to developing its tourism through music & film festivals. 

Taarab & KiSwahili: Culture & Tradition

One important orchestra responsible for keeping the music and cultural traditions of KiSwahili alive in Zanzibar has been the Culture Music Club.  This 25-piece orchestra will be touring North America in 2006; see their full tour dates!

The Sauti za Busara Swahili Music Festival, Stone Town, Zanzibar

In three short years, Sauti za Busara (Sounds of Wisdom) Swahili Music Festival has firmly established itself as one of East Africa’s finest annual events. This five-day extravaganza of diverse and top-quality music, theatre and dance brings together people of all ages and backgrounds in celebration of the wealth and variety of Swahili music.

Yusuf Mahmoud, Festival Director explains: “through this festival we aim to provide a snapshot - for local and international audiences - of current musical trends drawn from the Swahili-speaking region. The event attracts a lot of visitors from all around the world, many being concert organizers and festival promoters who are always amazed by the quality and range of styles that exist in East Africa.”

“Also, of course the festival is promoting Zanzibar, and attracting the kind of visitor who is interested in the arts, culture and history of the island and who spends money in ways that have a great impact on the local grassroots economy.”

Organised by Busara Promotions, the Sauti za Busara Swahili Music Festival showcases a rich and dynamic programme including ngoma traditional music, taarab, kidumbak, rumba, muziki wa dansi, mchiriku, Swahili hiphop bongo flava, Afropop fusions, mystic and religious music, theatre, comedy, acrobatics and dance. Of the forty groups participating, most are from the Swahili-speaking region: Zanzibar, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and Burundi, with six or seven specially selected groups from Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Mali and Europe.

The festival will be back in Stone Town, Zanzibar on 9-14 February 2007.

For more information, visit: www.busaramusic.com

Afropop Worldwide reports from 2004 & 2005 Zanzibar Sauti Za Busara Festival
Zanzibar Sauti Za Busara Festival, pt.1
http://www.afropop.org/multi/feature/ID/347/Zanzibar%27s+Sauti+Za+Busara+Festival%3A+Part+1Sauti

Sauti Za Busara - Sounds of Wisdom Swahili Festival, 2005
http://www.afropop.org/multi/feature/ID/467/Sauti+Za+Busara+2005+-+Sounds+of+Wisdom+Swahili+Festival

NEWS & LINKS:

Kenyans Bury Tanzanian Music Seer’s Remains but Keep His Words
Story by Bobastles Owino Nondih

Through his East African benga music, Daniel Owino Misiani entertained, seduced and attacked socio-political malaise in Kenya for more than four decades.

DO Misiani was creative, incisive, fearless and always invoked poetic license whenever cornered by intolerant political authorities for composing and recording satirical and sarcastic songs that ‘incited the populace against the government.’

Bobastles Owino Nondih pays tribute to this Kenya-based Tanzanian musician who perished in a road accident near his home in Kisumu on May 17, 2006.

State Theatre Presents Mombasa Party featuring The Royal Drummers of Burndi
October 8, 2006, New Brunswick, New Jersey

Those who enjoy world music or are curious about the sounds and musical traditions of other cultures are invited to live the African drum experience and the traditional music of Burundi at the Mombasa Party featuring The Royal Drummers of Burundi at the State Theatre, Sunday, October 8, 2006 at 3pm.

Mombasa Party
Mombasa Party is a collaboration of several major taarab artists and innovators, including Maulidi Juma (vocals), Zuhura Swaleh (vocals), Mohamed Adio Shigoo (harmonium, tashkota), Ibrahim Mwinchande (tashkota), Ali Gofu (double bass), Omars Swaleh al-Abdi (dumbak, bongos, vocals, bandmaster), Anasi Mbwana (bongos, chorus), and Kibibi Juma (chorus, rika).

Originating on the coast of Kenya in the 1950s, taarab is strongly inspired by music from Indian films. To create these exceptional and unique sounds, drummers often use traditional instruments from India, Africa, and even Japan, including the harmonium, the tabla, and the acoustic tashkota (described as a kind of 'type-writer banjo', with strings being stopped by an armature akin to a type-writer's, with a piano-like outline of black and white keys).

The Royal Drummers of Burundi
After centuries of performing exclusively for royal ceremonies, The Royal Drummers of Burundi have passed down the traditions and techniques of their sound to a modern generation which understands that drums are a sacred part of Burundi's musical heritage and channels its remarkable energy from this knowledge.

Since the 60s, the Drummers have taken their music on tour, performing in concert halls and on festival stages throughout the world. Their distinctive sound has influenced Western artists and British rockers alike, creating an international collaboration of music that still prevails today.

For more information, visit: www.statetheatrenj.org

ARTMATTERS...the authoritative source for information on arts and culture in Kenya
http://www.artmatters.info/index.htm

All About Zanzibar
http://www.allaboutzanzibar.com/

First published: www.afropop.org