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Picha: Mji Mkongwe, Wilaya ya Zanzibar Mjini, TanzaniaPicture: Stone Town, Zanzibar City, TanzaniaImage by Ludovic Péron, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5
Origin: Zanzibar, Tanzania 🇹🇿Language: Swahili
Muhogo wa Jang'ombe
Mtunzi: Siti Binti Saad (1880-1950)
Muhogo wa jang'ombe, sijauramba mwiko,
Usitukane wakunga, na uzazi ungalipo.
Ya nini kutakadamu kwa jambo lisilokuwa
Utahadhari na mwiko wakati wa kupakua
Ukitaraji makoko chungu utakitoboa
Kula dori kula dori, mshindo wa sufuria
Guliguli guliguli, kofia ina viua
Ndiye mimi ndiye mimi, anipataye ukoa
Kamfunge kamfunge, beberu wa Athumani
Umfunge umfunge, pahala panapo jani
Endaye tezi na omo, atarejea ngamani
Sina ngoa sina ngoa, kuhadaiwa sitaki
Ni mwerevu ni mwerevu, wala sihadaiki
Pambanua pambanua, viwili havipendeki
Wataka na kutembea laazizi unifikie
Walimwengu walimwengu kila mmoja na lake
Muhitaji hana haya wacha watu wakucheke
Cassava from Jang'ombe
Composer: Siti Binti Saad (1880-1950)
Cassava from Jang'ombe, I haven't licked the spoon.
Don't curse at the midwives while you still have a womb.
Why does all this blood spill when there is no trouble?
You will hold the spoon carefully when it's time to ladle.
If you crave the burnt crust, you will only pierce the pot.
Eating pearls, eating pearls, the cooking pot's convulsion.
A cap with all its stitching, sumptuously embroidered.
It's me, it's me! I'm the one with the oil-lamp chimney.
Go tie that goat! Go tie him, that goat of Athumani.
Tie him up or tie him down, some place where it's grassy.
Running from stern to bow only lands you in the bilge.
I lust not, I lust not. I don't wish to be cheated.
I'm clever, far too clever to ever wind up cheated.
Be choosy, be choosy. For two is never charming
You want to walk to reach me, my love
Everyone in the world has their own thing
Even if you're needy don't be shy, let everyone laugh at you
Translation by Richard Prins
Taarab: From Zanzibar to East Africa
Taarab: From Zanzibar to East Africa
Above: Aerial view of Zanzibar CityImage by Alex Petrenko, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Siti Binti Saad (~1880s-1950) (Credit: Wikimedia)
Muhogo wa Jan'gombe is a song that hails from Zanzibar, an archipelago state that united with Tanganyika to form Tanzania in 1964. Zanzibar is made of two main islands: Unguja (colloquially known as Zanzibar), and Pemba further north.
This song is in a genre known as Taarab which is hugely popular in the Eastern African nations of Kenya and Tanzania. The genre is influenced by African music, as well as music of India and the Arab world.
The word Taarab comes from the Arabic word tarab (طرب) which roughly translates to be moved by joy or grief, though some sources also suggest it could mean to chant or to simply make music (Kiel, 2012).
Taarab has roots in court music and features musical instruments of Middle Eastern origin such as the oud and qanun. See embed video below of the Culture & Musical Club and Bi Kidude which shows the instrumentation associated with traditional taarab.
This genre was very influential and spread beyond Zanzibar. Researcher Hilda Kiel also suggests that Taarab has infleunced music in Egypt at the time, which carried echoes of 'sentiment and feeling that was prevalent in the music, culture, and lifestyle of [Zanzibar]' (ibid.)
Taarab was popularised by singer Siti Binti Saad, who made a name for herself in a music industry dominated by men. She also sang in Swahili in the time when singing in Arabic was the norm.
She frequently made use of her voice and protested through her music against abuse against women and class inequalities and oppression.
Having sold over 72,000 records around the world by the 1930s, Siti Binti Saad became the one of the most prolific singers in her time in Zanzibar and beyond.
A gem in Swahili culture
A gem in Swahili culture
I first heard Muhogo wa Jan'gombe sometime in 2020. I was looking for a Swahili folk song to listen to while I was studying the language. I was instantly drawn to Bi Kidude's live version (see embed).
This song is rich in allegory, with themes centering around sex and midwifery.
Bi Kidude mentioned she learnt all her songs from Siti Binti Saad herself, and Siti Binti Saad indeed has recorded a version of Muhogo wa Jan'gombe albeit with a very different melody. My research suggests that it is highly likely that Siti Binti Saad authored Muhogo wa Jan'gombe.
This song has been covered by several artists. I have included an example of the song interpreted by Mak Adem, a Kenyan musician who accompanies himself on the nyatiti, a West Kenyan harp.
References
References
Author unknown. 2018. Siti binti Saad, the mother of taarab. [Online] Deutsche Welle. Available at: <https://www.dw.com/en/siti-binti-saad-the-mother-of-taarab/a-43629276> [Accessed 12/08/2022]
Evans, G., 2013. Bi Kidude obituary. [Online] The Guardian. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/apr/17/bi-kidude-dies> [Accessed: 12/08/2022]
Kiel, H., 2012. Travel on a song-the roots of Zanzibar taarab. African Music: Journal of the International Library of African Music, 9(2), pp.77-93.
Nene, M. 2015. Taarab music: a coastal music with flair. [Online] Music in Africa. Available at: <https://www.musicinafrica.net/magazine/taarab-music-coastal-music-flair>. [Accessed 22 August 2022]
Yee, A. 2018. The Hot New Musical Trend In Zanzibar Is From The '80s — The 1880s. [Online] NPR. Available at: <https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/09/29/650073622/the-hot-new-musical-trend-in-zanzibar-is-from-the-80s-the-1880s?t=1660265402701> [Accessed 12 August 2022]
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