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 ...

(CNN)-- Mohammed Issa Matona is a man on a mission. A master of taarab music, Matona is also the co-founder of Zanzibar's Dhow Countries Music Academy, a school dedicated to preserving the island's ...

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 ...

Zimbabweans had a feel of a unique flavour of Arabian Taarab music on Thursday night from a group from Zanzibar which performed at the Harare International Festival of the Arts (Hifa). The audience ...

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 ...

Maryam Mohammed Hamdani says she is the first woman to play taarab, a traditional style of music native to East Africa, in public in Zanzibar. She says she wasn't able to learn as a child due to ...

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.

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 ...