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Tanzania music has its roots both in its native African music as well as from the coastal Arabic and Indonesian cultures. The box-resonating zithers and the flat-bar xylophones used in Tanzania music could have very well been imported from Indonesia. Tanzanian music shows prominent signs of Islamic influence on its coastal songs and instruments such as Swahili udi, which bears its similarities with Arabic ‘ud.
The most dominant urban popular style in the music of Tanzania, Taarab, was once an entertainment genre which uses ‘udi, drums, accordion and harmoniums. This influence, however, was mutual which is evident from the birth of leiwah dance genre in Bahrain.
Another massive cultural influence includes the northwestern regions which once were the centers of ivory trade during the reign of the Ugandan kingdoms.
The most popular bands of the music in Tanzanian are African Stars or Twanga Pepeta, Amani Music Ensemble, Chu Chu Sound, Espen and the Easies, Gangwe Mobb, Gatecrashes, Hard Blasters, Islanders Band, Jaydee, Kilimanjaro Band, Beni ya Kingi, Black Roots Culture Group, Eyuphuru and GidiGidi MajiMaji.
Recent studies however show that Tanzania music is suffering at this moment. In order to acquire money and equipments, musicians are getting involved in cassette piracy. Government too has shown no signs of controlling the same unlike Nyerere’s efforts of developing Tanzania’s music.
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