Artists

Sanaa Taarab was born in 1983, after the then Zanzibar Ballet group stopped its activities. In its early years the group managed to perform by borrowing equipment from Culture Musical Club, with whom they have a long and positive relationship. Currently the group has twenty artists who are employed by read more

Hadhramaut has a long history of association with the maritime routes between the Swahili Coast of Africa, the Arab World and India, absorbing centuries of musical and cultural influences. The music of this part of the Republic of Yemen is rich in rhythms and varieties of instruments with songs and read more

Rooted in a mystic Island in the Indian Ocean, carrying influences from ancient Arab, Turkish, Indian, and African musical traditions whilst fusing them with contemporary music from Jazz to Funk to Reggae and beyond, Siti & The Band are the rising stars from the East African region presenting a virtuous read more

Almost a century ago, Zanzibari singer Siti Binti Saad reimagined what had been formal court music into a private form of improvisation, laced with a spirit of inclusivity that combined Arabic and Swahili lyrics. In doing so, she paved the way for other female taarab singers, including Bi Kidude.

In turn, read more

Launched at Zanzibar’s Dhow Countries Music Academy (DCMA) in 2014 and comprising of DCMA teachers and students, the Taarab - Kidumbak Group was formed to participate in a competition to tour in America. Since then, they participated in three highly acclaimed tours in the summer of 2015. The first read more

Tarabband is a six-member group founded in 2008 by Nadin Al Khalidi (Iraq/Egypt) and Gabriel Hermansson (Sweden). A cross-cultural musical experience resonating tarab; the universal feeling when emotions and music become one.

Tarabband’s music takes off from Malmö, travels via Paris and the Mediterranean to Cairo and Baghdad creating the band’s read more