When a genre of music that has changed very little of its original format over a period of almost a century begins to embrace contemporary influences, then its traditional fanbase is often stunned by ...

Taarab lovers in Tanzania are in mourning after one of the greatest singers in the modern era passed on a few days ago. While it is not clear what may have caused his untimely death, Bilal Mashauzi ...

A famous Zanzibari singer and composer, Siti binti Saad established taarab as a performing art and as a mouthpiece for women in East Africa. In the process, she became a pioneer in many ways. Siti ...

Mombasa, Kenya: The king of Taarab music, Mohamed Khamis Juma Balo, is dead. He died in his house in Mombasa’s Old Town on Saturday night after ailing for long. Bhalo who practised Taarab for over ...

Taarab music has come of age. Gone are the days when lovers of the soulful melodies merely sat back and listened as their favourite songs were played. Today, Taarab fans are packing entertainment ...

At a time when cultural musical styles have rapidly evolved, an East African genre that is nearly a century old is struggling to retain its identity. Contemporary influences have had a huge impact on ...

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 ...

Nairobi — Although taarab music rarely features on entertainment menus of leisure spots outside the coastal strip, the growth of the music genre, whose roots are said to go back to over a century, has ...

Teenager Neema Florence Surrie started to play the violin at the age of nine. Since then, she has found a love for traditional taarab music and plays in an all-female taarab music group in Zanzibar.