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…e future of Tanzanian music is alive and well! Futher Reading Field Report Tanzania 2019 – Serengeti Field Report Tanzania 2019 – Ndagwa Msanga The Amone Watmon Matthew Story Interview with Amone Watmon Matthew Watmon Cultural Group #19 – Makunga & The Visuals of Singing Wells Makunga The Makunga are from Dodoma and the Wagogo Community, which they argued is the main indigenous community of Tanzania (always from the land, never migrated into Tanza…
Makunga Group
…he Wagogo Community, which they argued is the main indigenous community of Tanzania (always from the land, never migrated into Tanzania. The group was formed in 2018, but was built on a much older group. They perform in the Wuyina style. Their instruments/costumes include the: Ndulele (Horn), the Nindo (Shakers), the Mbega: (Animal Skins), the Muheme (Drums), the Kabati (Shakers), the Kalimba (Thumb Piano), the Zeze (Orutu), the Izeze (5 string la…
Guy Morley Staff Profile
…Guy Morley is the founder and Director of No Nation. No Nation is an independent UK based arts programming and promotion company. Some of the festivals that Guy has programmed include The Big Chill, Brighton Festival and African Soul Rebels. Guy is also a freelance music promoter and DJ. In the course of his career he has produced a radio show called Afro Base, on Juice 107.2 and Totallyradio.com and been the resident DJ in several venues in Manch…
Jackie Akinyi Group
…iambo Aringo) was born in Buturi village, Rorya District in Mara Province (Tanzania) on the 20th August 1974. She started primary school education in 1982 up to 1989, when she joined Isango secondary school in Kinesi, Rorya District, Mara Province from Form One . She completed her fourth form in 1992, but was not able to pursue higher education, and that’s when she started her career as an artist. She has always loved music, especially traditional…
Kijaruba Group Group
…Kijaruba Group are a group part of the larger Bigilia Group. We met them on our 2017 field trip to Tanzania. You can read more about them on the Bigilia page here….
Biluli Dutwa Group
…uestionable virtues Balimi: A song about farming where the band brought up children from the village and taught them about hoeing the soil to the song. Later we saw several videos of how this song is used in the fields to motivate farmers, who hoe to the beat. Throughout Tanzania, we saw school kids walking to/from school with their hoes, where they often tend to small plots at the school. Serengeti: We are near the national park and this is a son…
Baseki Group
…uestionable virtues Balimi: A song about farming where the band brought up children from the village and taught them about hoeing the soil to the song. Later we saw several videos of how this song is used in the fields to motivate farmers, who hoe to the beat. Throughout Tanzania, we saw school kids walking to/from school with their hoes, where they often tend to small plots at the school. Serengeti: We are near the national park and this is a son…
Day Four: January 21 2019 Mwanza Story
…he boss, who is always wrong, wants to be always right. Just accept it’ Ba Tanzania (Malima): Praising country, encouraging farmers and hard work – this song had an incredible beat. Ng’oma ya Asilia: a traditional song Ali Nilihali: A lady turned down Man 1 because he was poor and settled on Man 2 who was even poorer. Meanwhile Man 1 got rich and lady came back to him and the song asks, “So how did it end up?” Magic Moment on a song Ndono. They…
Field Recording Report by Kahithe Kiiru Story
…common focus on using music as a tool for community development. The group promotes traditional African values and acts in both education and local economy. Members also engage in traditional crafts like basket weaving and jewellery making for exhibition and sale. Their chairman, Mr. Bwire, also chairs the County Culture Committee and says he is “biased towards ethnomusicology” because “that’s where the beauty of the music lies”. Our recording ses…
Day Two: January 19, 2019 From Tarime to Buturi to Bariadi Story
…A wonderful first day of recording in Buturi Tanzania….
Day Four: February 19, 2020 (Maruhabi Palace) Story
…is group performs in a fusion of traditional African rhythms from mainland Tanzania and Pemba, and contemporary African sounds. The three young men are all students at the DMCA performing with a well known drummer and teacher of music. This band has been together for 2 years. Performers: Lukoa Nenes (sticks), Joshua Muyumovela ( shakers), Nyemo Mopana (guitar, kalimba (hand held thumb piano), lead singer), Heri Kombo (drums) Songs: Mwaludeje – T…
Day Three: January 20th, 2019 Story
…used in the fields to motivate farmers, who hoe to the beat. Throughout Tanzania, we saw school kids walking to/from school with their hoes, where they often tend to small plots at the school. Serengeti: We are near the national park and this is a song in celebration to Tanzanian parks and wild life. Freestyle filming with song Balimi Magic Moment: Song Makule Magic moment again: Balimi https://youtu.be/4PxbBqqxuUQ Group 2: Biluli dutwa: This g…
Kirundo Group
Kirundo performs in a fusion of traditional African rhythms from mainland Tanzania and Pemba, and contemporary African sounds. The three young men are all students at the DMCA performing with a well known drummer and teacher of music. This band has been together for 2 years. Songs: Mwaludeje – Tradition after the harvest. New composition. Mjomba – Uncle, celebrating the good hunt. New composition Uye – Come Back Please, used at a wake after someo…
Day One: January 18, 2019. Assemble in Tanzania Story
…rdered our ‘dried fish’ and crashed. This, our second major field visit to Tanzania, begins tomorrow. The Tanzania Team, with Jackie Akinyi A couple of quick background facts: This is our second Field Visit to Tanzania. (Please go here for the first trip) For Singing Wells, a field visit is when we visit a specific region of East Africa and record musical groups in villages. On average, we do one field visit a year, recording roughly 20-25 groups,…
Day Six: January 24, 2019 From Mwanza to Dodomo to Nzali to Nairobi Story
…he Wagogo Community, which they argued is the main indigenous community of Tanzania (always from the land, never migrated into Tanzania. The group was formed in 2018, but was built on a much older group. They perform in the Wuyina style. Their instruments/costumes include the: Ndulele (Horn), the Nindo (Shakers), the Mbega: (Animal Skins), the Muheme (Drums), the Kabati (Shakers), the Kalimba (Thumb Piano), the Zeze (Orutu), the Izeze (5 string…
Day Zero: February 15, 2020 – Assemble in Zanzibar Story
…Soon the islands joined the Mainland Tanganyika and were subsumed to form Tanzania. Today, the population of the islands is over 98% Muslim. Second, one of our main partners for our trip was the Dhow Countries Music Academy. The “Dhow” is a traditional sailing vessel. We saw many on the waters around Zanzibar. The “Dhow Countries” are all the countries that have blown to Zanzibar and left their musical instruments, styles and influences. …