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 story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.