Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to the south; Zambia to the southwest; and Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, is in northeastern Tanzania. According to the 2022 national census, Tanzania has a population of nearly 62 million, making it the most populous country located entirely south of the equator.
As it is in other countries, the music in Tanzania is constantly undergoing changes, and varies by location, people, settings and occasion. The five music genres in Tanzania, as defined by BASATA are, ngoma, dansi, kwaya, and taarab, with bongo flava being added in 2001. Singeli has since the mid-2000s been an unofficial music of uswahilini, unplanned communities in Dar es Salaam, and is the newest mainstream genre since 2020.
Bongo Flava is a nickname for Tanzanian music. The genre developed in the 1990s, mainly as a derivative of American hip hop and traditional Tanzanian styles such as taarab and dansi, with additional influences from reggae, R&B, and afrobeats, to form a unique style of music. Lyrics are usually in Swahili or English, although increasingly from mid 2000s there has been limited use of words from Sub-Saharan African music traditions due to the influence of Afrobeats and Kwaito with their dynamics usage of West African Pidgin English, Nigerian Pidgin or other Creole language.
Taarab is a music genre popular in Tanzania and Kenya. It is influenced by the musical traditions of the African Great Lakes, North Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent. Taarab rose to prominence in 1928 with the advent of the genre's first star, Siti binti Saad.
Tanzanian Hip-hop, which is sometimes referred to Bongo Flava by many outside of Tanzania's hip hop community, encompasses a large variety of different sounds, but it is particularly known for heavy synth riffs and an incorporation of Tanzanian pop.
The Zaramo people, also referred to as Dzalamo or Saramo, are a Bantu ethnic group native to the central eastern coast of Tanzania, particularly Dar es Salaam Region and Pwani Region. They are the largest ethnic group in and around Dar es Salaam, the former capital of Tanzania and the 7th largest city in Africa. Estimated to be about 0.7 million people, over 98% of them are Muslims, more specifically the Shafi'i school of Sunni Islam. Zaramo people are considered influential in Tanzania popular culture with musical genres like Sengeli originating from their commonity in Kinondoni District. Their culture and history have been shaped by their dwelling in both urban and rural landscapes.
Kinondoni District, officially the Kinondoni Municipal Council is one of five districts of the Dar es Salaam Region of Tanzania. The district is bordered to the north by Bagamoyo District and Kibaha of Pwani Region, to the east by the Indian Ocean, the west by Ubungo District, and to the south by the Ilala District. The district covers an area of 269.5 km2 (104.1 sq mi). The district is comparable in size to the land area of Malta. The administrative seat is Ndugumbi. The district is home to one of the best preserved Medieval Swahili settlements, Kunduchi Ruins, headquarters for the National Muslim Council of Tanzania (BAKWATA) and Makumbusho Village Museum. Considered the cultural center of Dar es Salaam, Kinondoni District is also regarded the birthplace of the musical genre of Singeli. In addition the district is one of two districts in Dar es Salaam that has a National Historic Site, namely the Kunduchi Ruins.The 2012 National Tanzania Census states the population for Kinondoni as 1,775,049.
Following Tanganyika's independence (1961) and unification with Zanzibar (1964), leading to the formation of the state of Tanzania, President Julius Nyerere emphasised a need to construct a national identity for the citizens of the new country. To achieve this, Nyerere provided what has been regarded by some commentators as one of the most successful cases of ethnic repression and identity transformation in Africa.
Mwanza Region is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The region covers a land area of 25,233 km2 (9,743 sq mi). The region is comparable in size to the combined land area of the nation state of North Macedonia. Mwanza Region is bordered to the north through Lake Victoria by the Kagera Region and Mara Region, to the east by Simiyu Region, to the south by the Shinyanga Region and to the west by Geita Region. The regional capital is the city of Mwanza. According to the 2022 national census, the region had a population of 3,699,872 and national census of 2012 had 2,772,509. Mwanza Region is the second region with high population in Tanzania after Dar es Salaam Region.
Ubungo District, officially the, Ubungo Municipal Council is one of five districts of the Dar es Salaam Region of Tanzania. The Kinondoni District and Kibaha of the Pwani Region border the district to the north; the Kisarawe District of Pwani Region borders it to the west; and the Ilala District borders the it to the south and east. The district covers an area of 269.4 km2 (104.0 sq mi). The district is comparable in size to the land area of St. Kitts and Nevis. The administrative seat is Kwembe. The district is home to the University of Dar es Salaam, The Magufuli Bus Terminal, the largest in the country, and Pande Game Reserve the largest protected land area in Dar es Salaam Region. In addition, the district is home to the largest natural gas powered power station, the Ubungo Thermal Power Station and the headquarters of the Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited (TANESCO). The 2012 National Tanzania Census states the population of the district as 845,368.
Bagamoyo District Council is one of eight administrative districts of Pwani Region in Tanzania. The District covers an area of 945 km2 (365 sq mi). The district is surrounded by the Chalinze District to the north and west, the Zanzibar Channel to the east, the Kibaha District to the south, and the Kinondoni District to the south-east in the Dar es Salaam Region. The district is comparable in size to the land area of Turks and Caicos Islands. The district capital is at Bagamoyo. 1n 2016 the Tanzania National Bureau of Statistics report there were 106,484 people in the district, from 311,740 in 2012, of which 97,660 where in current district wards. The decrease being from splitting of the district and creation of the Chalinze District in 2015.
Muziki wa dansi, or simply dansi, is a Tanzanian music genre, derivative of Congolese soukous and Congolese rumba. It is sometimes called Swahili jazz because most dansi lyrics are in Swahili, and "jazz" is an umbrella term used in Central and Eastern Africa to refer to soukous, highlife, and other dance music and big band genres. Muziki wa dansi can also be referred to as Tanzanian rumba, as "african rumba" is another name for soukous.
Manzese is an administrative ward in Ubungo District of the Dar es Salaam Region in Tanzania. Sinza and Kijitonyama, the latter belonging to Kinondoni MC, border the ward on the north. The ward is bordered to the east by the wards of Tandale, Ndugumbi, and Makurumla. Mabibo is in the south. Ubungo ward is to the west. Manzese was founded as a squatted informal settlement and had a population of 90,000 in 1975. A third of its adults were working full-time. By 1980, it had basic infrastructure such as roads and sanitation facilities. According to the 2012 census, the ward has a total population of 70,507.
Ndugumbi is an administrative ward and district capital of the Kinondoni District of the Dar es Salaam Region in Tanzania. Tandale and Makumbusho ward border the ward to the north, Mzimuni to the east, Makurumla to the south and Manzese on the west. The last two being located in Ubungo District. In 2016 the Tanzania National Bureau of Statistics report there were 46,134 people in the ward, from 36,841 in 2012.
Tandale is an administrative ward in Kinondoni District of the Dar es Salaam Region in Tanzania. The ward is bordered by the wards of Makumbusho to the east, Ndugumbi to the south, and Manzese to the west in the Ubungo MC. Last but not least, Kijitonyama borders the ward to the north. Tandale is considered the birthplace of Singeli music, specifically by the Zaramo community in the Mtogole neighborhood of the ward. The ward is also where musical artist Diamond Platnumz grew up. According to the 2012 census, the ward has a population of 54,781.
Kisutu is an administrative ward of the Ilala Municipical Council of the Dar es Salaam Region in Tanzania. Upanga East ward and Kivukoni ward both border the ward to the north and north-east. The ward is bordered to the south by Mchafukoge ward and to the west by Jangwani ward. The ward hosts the Channel 10 Television Station formerly known as Dar es Salaam Television Station at Zaramo Street in Kisutu ward. In 2016 the Tanzania National Bureau of Statistics report there were 10,404 people in the ward, from 8,308 in 2012.
Tanzania Music Awards are national music awards held annually in Tanzania. They are also known as the Kilimanjaro Music Awards or the Kili Music Awards after their sponsor. The awards were established in 1999 by the National Arts Council (BASATA) under the Tanzanian Ministry of Education and Culture.
Zena Yusuf Mohammed, known by her stage name Shilole, is a Tanzanian musician and actress. She specializes in R&B, Zouk, and new generation Tanzania music popularly known as Bongo Fleva. Shilole is considered one of the top female artists in Tanzania; her works has been nominated 3 times in KTMA, Tanzania's top music awards. She has also recorded with a number of artists including Mr Camera and Selebobo (Nigeria). Shilole is considered as one of the most influential artist among her fans and is said to be the most loved female artist in Tanzania, the first female artist in Tanzania to clock 1 million followers in Instagram, Tanzania's most popular social network... Shilole is credited as one of the key figures in the popularization of Tanzania's new music genre Bongo Flava, as a career to upcoming female artists.
Mohamed Issa Haji 'Matona is a Zanzibarian musician. He is a founder and the artistic director of Zanzibar's Dhow Countries Music Academy.
Ngoma(also ng'oma or ing'oma) is a Bantu term with many connotations that encompasses music, dance, and instruments. In Tanzania ngoma also refers to events, both significant life-changing events such as the first menstruation or the birth or passing of a loved one, as well as momentary events such as celebrations, rituals, or competitions. Ngoma was the primary form of culture throughout the Great Lakes and Southern Africa. Today it is most notable in Tanzania, where it is deemed an official music genre by the National Arts Council (BASATA - Baraza la Sanaa la Taifa). In Tanzania, it is experienced throughout the country and performed, taught, and studied in many schools and universities. The most notable school for ngoma is the Bagamoyo Arts and Cultural Institute, which produces the most prominent chairmen (directors/conductors) and dancers.
