What is Tanzanian dance music (Muziki ya Dansi)? According to local legend, Taarab was started by Sultan Seyyid Barghash bin Said (1870-1888). Popular in both Tanzania and Kenya, this music genre is influenced by the traditions from North Africa, the African Great Lakes, the Middle East and India. RELATED CONTE NT: 6 cultural traditions to be aware of before you travel to Tanzania What is Taarab?īorrowed from Arabic, Taarab means “have joy with music” and has roots in Islamic culture. The Zaramo people use tuned goblet and cylindrical drums and tin rattles to create the sounds they dance to. As an example, a Gogo ethnic group multi-instrumentalist Hukwe Zawose specialised in playing the ilimba, which is like a large lamellophone and similar to the mbira. What is traditional Tanzanian music?Įach of the 120-plus ethnic groups in Tanzania has developed its own traditional music styles and dances. This includes the traditional music and dance of their ethnic groups, through to gospel or newer genres like Bongo Flava, a fusion of local sounds, US hip hop and reggaeton. Tanzanian artists express themselves with a huge range of genres old or emerging. There are 126 languages spoken in Tanzania, but the common language is Swahili. Let us guide you through the best Tanzanian artists and musical genres from the past to today. From the sounds of traditional African music to the string-based taarab to bongo flava, Tanzanian musicians are constantly playing around with new sounds to create distinctive genres and songs. Before departing on a trip into a new culture it can be fun to learn some basic phrases, brush up on etiquette but best of all, listen to the local music – which is why we’re bringing you this beginner’s guide to Tanzanian music.

Waptrick free tanzania music download