Arab melodies from Zanzibar with the queen of Taarab, the 93 year old Bi Kidude
Founded in 1958, the Culture Musical Club is Zanzibar’s premier taarab club. The
orchestra performs widely at concerts in Zanzibar town, but also frequently travels
overland with a fold-up stage and an electricity generator to bring its music to the
rural areas as well. The club has released hundreds of songs on the local market and
since 1988 they have had six releases on the international market. The orchestra has
had highly successful tours all over Europe in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005
and 2007; in September 2006 they toured the US to high acclaim, in July 2007 the
club performed in Japan. A North American tour is planned for the 2008-2009
season. Besides taarab, many club members are also active in kidumbak groups, smaller ensembles that play a more down-home dance-focused music. Both types of music are played on stage, contrasting the serene sound of orchestral taarab to the festive and sexually charged dance that is kidumbak.
On its tours the club regularly features invited guest singers. The summer 2009 will include the legendary 93 year old Bi Kidude, the veteran diva of Zanzibar, who is now in her mid-90s but is still famous for breaking taboos, both in her sexually-explicit lyrics and her bravery for daring to sing with her face uncovered.
Bi Kidude (Fatuma binti Baraka), singer, born around 1910; died 17 April 2013