Key attributes of Taarab Music

Taarab music is made up of several aspects that make it unique. Taarab rose to prominence in 1928 with the rise of the genre’s first star, Siti binti Saad.These attributes make it stand out from the rest of East African music and defines how it is done. Some of these aspects include;

Musical instruments: the music instruments used, for example, African drums, flutes and maracas give it the African touch. The beats and rhythms developed from these instruments are unique and different from other types of music.

Dancing styles: participants in Taarab music e.g. dancers and singers dance in slow motions and a coordinated manner. They may also dance while following a particular pattern like going round a circle.

Dressing and costumes: the dancers and singers of Taarab music wear long clothing; be it, men or women. They adopt the Muslim way of dressing. The attire worn is unique to the culture due to the patterns and decorations with which it is made. Also, women taking part in this culture’s music are decorated and painted with henna and other color patterns to make performances better.

Music content and message of the songs in this culture’s composition is in such a way that they include rhyme schemes to make it entertaining. Also, the songs sang in most cases have a hidden message that is to be conveyed to the listeners.