Our Story — The Journey of Asili Dub, Nairobi's Roots Reggae & Dub Band
Taarab Music — Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Taarab music?
- Taarab is a Swahili coastal music genre from East Africa — especially Zanzibar, Mombasa and Tanzania — that blends Swahili sung poetry with Arabic, Indian and African instrumentation: ouds, qanuns, violins, accordions and hand percussion. It's traditionally performed at weddings and cultural celebrations.
- What does "Taarab" mean?
- The word comes from the Arabic "tarab" (طرب), meaning the emotional ecstasy or joyful trance evoked by music. In Swahili culture it refers both to that feeling and to the sung poetry that produces it.
- Where did Taarab originate?
- Taarab originated in Zanzibar in the late 19th century under Sultan Barghash bin Said, who invited Egyptian musicians to perform at his court. It spread along the Swahili Coast to Mombasa, Tanga, Dar es Salaam and the Comoros.
- Who are the famous Taarab musicians?
- Legends include Siti binti Saad (the pioneer), Bi Kidude, Culture Musical Club and Ikhwani Safaa Musical Club of Zanzibar, Black Star Musical Club of Tanga, and modern voices such as Nyota Ndogo, Khadija Kopa and Mzee Yusuph.
- How is Taarab different from other African music?
- Unlike most sub-Saharan African music, Taarab is built around Swahili sung poetry (mashairi) with strong Arabic maqam melody and Indian film-music influence. Its rhythms are slower and more melodic, and lyrics use metaphor (mafumbo) to send coded social messages.
- What is the role of women in Taarab, from Siti binti Saad to Nyota Ndogo?
- Women are central to Taarab. Siti binti Saad broke gender and class barriers in the 1920s, becoming the first East African woman to record commercially. Today artists like Nyota Ndogo, Khadija Kopa and Mwanahawa Ali carry the tradition forward, voicing women's experiences of love, marriage and society.
- What are the influences in Taarab music?
- Taarab fuses Arabic maqam scales and instrumentation (oud, qanun, violin), Indian film-music melody and rhythm, African hand-drum percussion, and Swahili sung poetry — reflecting centuries of Indian Ocean trade along the Swahili Coast.