Will Ross reports from Zanzibar and Mombasa on how traditional Taarab music is responding to the challenge of new influences. In the 1930's the great Taarab singer, Siti Bint Saad, was a prized ...

The lyrics of traditional taarab music would typically be laden with hidden meanings. The lyrical composers would self-consciously and indulgently invoke symbolism in most songs. "Most composers ...