Remembering Bi Kidude, Zanzibar’s Queen of Music
Zanzibar drummer and musician Bi Kidude performs during a concert at the Go Down Arts Centre in Nairobi in 2006. (Photo: REUTERS/Antony Njuguna)
This month the ancient port city of Zanzibar in Tanzania, Africa, has been mourning the death of one of its great musical stars.
No one knows exactly how old the singer and drummer Bi Kidude was when she died- some say over 100 — but she left a unique musical legacy which fused African and Arabic culture.
Rita Ray, the associate producer of “As Old As My Tongue”- an award-winning documentary about the life of Bi Kidude, has this remembrance.
The World is an independent newsroom. We’re not funded by billionaires; instead, we rely on readers and listeners like you. As a listener, you’re a crucial part of our team and our global community. Your support is vital to running our nonprofit newsroom, and we can’t do this work without you. Will you support The World with a gift today? Donations made between now and Dec. 31 will be matched 1:1. Thanks for investing in our work!