A Study Of Taarab Music In Zanzibar Island, Tanzania

This dissertation focuses on the research of taarab music in Zanzibar, East Africa. The central topic is the artistic value, survival status, and developing trends of this cross-culture integration of music. Nowadays, taarab has become the typical representative of Zanzibar and Swahili culture. Taraab is a composite of music which involves the complex and ever changing musical structures, the colorful style characteristics, the irreplaceable, unique style. After its 110-year history rise and decline, taarab music still has a strong vitality. The research on taarab in Zanzibar was not systemized in the past, so the author spends two main chapters applying the music ontology analysis, and try to present the culture. This, finally, explores the educational instruction and inheritance, the communication subjects and receivers, social structure, feminism and so on. The research will absorb the theoretic thought from Sociology, Communication and Pedagogy.As a long history, with 110 years of cultural accumulation, the taarab structure, Maqam modes, the Darbuka rhythm is various changeable. However, there is no study concerning music itself. In the first three chapters, the article introduces the cognition research on taarab, the history of formation and evolution, musical characteristics. Meanwhile the author integrates the four significant taarab groups, which saw during the fieldwork and has drew on mature systems of music in Egypt and Arab, to set up theoretical system of taarab music in Zanzibar and then research on Maqam’s basic features according to it. Conversely, the result of this research is helpful to the musicians in Zanzibar.The chapter four is the detailed analysis of the current situation of taarab in the past 20 years and to give some interpretations to the artistic development and change in contemporary. Meanwhile the author tries to reveal the transformation in the ways of communication and integration. Finally, the author finds the reason that why taarab music is prosperous in Swahili culture area.In the chapter five, based on a sample of local DCMA music academy, the author analyses the music education in the whole Zanzibar, and dissect how to promote inheritance of taarab music without the assistance of local government in this region of less developed economy. And what is striking, really remarkable, that turned taarab music into a rising industry, thus it has played a positive role in the development of the local economy.With the intercommunication developing frequently in the world, various cultural modes must influence and mix each other firmly. Multi-cultural integration and absorption is the only way to hold the basis of self-worth and become the local cultural symbol. As a prime example, the taarab music has been the major transit from a rural music as dominant culture, to the suppressed subculture, till present the cultural marker of Zanzibar and Swahili culture. The process of its development is a stark example for understanding the change and integration of traditional music. Through the research on taarab music, on the one hand, enrich and develops the domestic research on African music, on the other hand, hoping to find some things to learn from and draw on.