Taarab Music in Zanzibar in the Twentieth Century: A Story of 'Old is Gold' and Flying Spirits

The musical genre of taarab is played for entertainment at weddings and other festive occasions all along the Swahili Coast in East Africa. In this study Janet Topp Fargion traces the development of the genre in Zanzibar, from the late nineteenth century to the end of the twentieth. Of special interest is the role of women - as audiences and primary consumers. The book weaves together the historical, social, economic, religious and political dynamics involved in the development of the genre, and investigates how these are played out in the performance of taarab music on Zanzibar.