At sunset in the streets of the ancient old town, the musical clubs of Zanzibar buzz with the joyful sounds of Taarab, the local music. Its style reflects two millennia of cultural exchange and the island's place at the crossroads of the spice route. Vehicle of cultural identity and living tradition, the performance of Taarab is linked to both the ceremonial and everyday life of the island.

Featuring artists such as midwife Bi Kidude, one of the most revered of all Zanzibar Taarab singers, this beautifully filmed documentary by Philippe Gasnier and Patrice
Nezan immerses us in the color, warmth, and diversity of Zanzibar's little-known Muslim
culture and the Taarab poets, cultural custodians of a dynamic musical heritage that must
assert itself in the face of tourism and economic change.

Additional Details

Label: Buda Musique

Genre: World

Release Date: 06/14/11

UPC: 3341348602004