Taarab

E893976

Taarab is a popular East African musical genre, especially associated with Swahili coastal culture, that blends Arabic, Indian, and African musical influences with poetic lyrics.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Taarab canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf East African music genre
musical genre
associatedWithCulture Swahili culture
associatedWithRegion East Africa
characterizedBy call-and-response singing
ornamented vocal style
poetic lyrics
developedInCentury 19th century
developedInPlace Zanzibar Sultanate
genreOf music
hasCulturalOrigin Kenya
Swahili coast
linked to: Swahili Coast

Tanzania
Zanzibar
hasNotableCenter Dar es Salaam
Mombasa
Zanzibar
hasSubgenre kitaarab
mipasho
modern taarab
influencedBy African music
Arabic music
Indian music
lyricalFeature double entendre
metaphor
proverbial expressions
lyricalTheme love
moral advice
social commentary
patronizedBy Sultan of Zanzibar
performedAt political rallies
social gatherings
weddings
performedBy female vocalists
male vocalists
orchestral ensembles
relatedTo Egyptian classical music
Swahili poetry
ngoma (East African dance and drumming)
typicalLanguage Swahili
linked to: Swahili language
usesInstrument accordion
bass guitar
dumbek
electric keyboard
frame drum
oud
qanun
tabla
violin

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Swahili people music Taarab