Wananet,
Jana(monday) usiku BBC World Service(Radio)kulikuwa na
kipindi kuhusu Zanzibar ambapo kwa aliekisikiliza na
hasa sie tulioko nje ya Zanzibar basi tulipata
burudani kidogo kwa kusikia vibwagizo vya taarab na
msondo.

Kipindi hicho ambacho kiliitwa Songs of the Earth
kilikuwemo ndani ya kipindi cha Meridian.

Kipindi kilianza kwa kutiwa wimbo usemao..."Mpenzi
nipepee nna usingizi nataka kulala..." ,kwa vile saa
hizo ilikuwa ni usiku basi ilikuwa raha
inayotukumbusha nyumbani kabisa.

Kuna 'dada' na 'kaka' ambao ndio waliokuwa
wakihojiwa.Mwanzoni nilikuwa attentive kutaka kuyajua
majina yao kwani nilihisi wangehitaji kupewa credit
kwa kipindi kama hichi.Lakini alas! baadae nilikuja
kutanabahi kuwa walikuwa na kila sababu ya kuficha
identity yao kutokana na mambo ya 'ndani' waliyokuwa
wakiyasema.

Kipindi kama sikosei kilikusudiwa kueleza namna gani
music(taarab) ina depict maisha halisi ya wazanzibari.
Kipindi hicho kilitaka kuonesha maisha ya kimapenzi ya
Wazanzibari.

Huyo 'dada' ambae anaonekana ni mtu wa makamo
kidogo,kwani anasema aliolewa na mume wa kwanza tarehe
1.7.69 na tayari keshaolewa na wanaume wafikao watano,
alianza kwa kusema kuwa mapenzi zamani yalikuwa ni
mambo ya siri sana na si mambo ya uwanjani.
Alithibitisha hayo kwa kusema hata nyimbo za zamani
kidogo zilidhihirisha hayo....:hapo kikatiwa kibwagizo
cha nyimbo.."Ewe ua la peponi...".Dada huyo akasema
ndio ukaona zamani mpenzi alifananishwa na UA au
NDEGE.

Akaendelea kusema kuwa nyimbo za kileo ni sort of
mipasho kutokana na hali halisi ya mapenzi na maisha
yalivyo leo.Hapo kukatiwa kibwagizo...."Kisa hujui
kupenda..".

Kipindi kiliendelea kwa kutiwa ngoma ya msondo na
baadae akahojiwa mama mwengine ambae alilamika kuwa
siku hizi UNYAGO hauko tena.

Yule 'dada' alipoulizwa kwani mnafunzwa nini huko
kwenye unyago akasema ni mambo ya kawaida tu kama vile
namna ya kuwa mke mzuri,kuwa na adabu kwa mumeo,
kutokuwa mkorofi,namna ya kumfurahisha mume na
mengineyo.

Yule 'kaka' alipoulizwa kama alipata mafunzo yoyote
juu ya kukaa na mke alisema ni mambo ya jumla tu ya
namna ya kukaa na mke kwa vyema.

'Dada' akaendelea kufunua mambo aliyoyapa siku saba za
mwanzo za harusi.Alisema kuwa baada ya kuolewa
hakutoka ndani siku saba na alikuwa anafanyiwa kila
kitu. Akifukizwa uturi wa kila
aina,asumini,mawardi,akioga kwa maji yaliyofukizwa,
almuradi anasema ilikuwa raha mtawalia na anasema
alichukua mimba katika kipindi hicho hicho cha siku
saba za mwanzo.

Kuhusu kama alikuwa kafundishwa mambo ya'ndani' ya
harusi au mambo ambayo ayategemee akiwa na
mumewe,alijibu kuwa hakufundishwa isipokuwa alikuwa
akisoma vitabu na kuangalia michezo.Hapo kukatiwa
kibwagizo cha.."..yataka vitendo iwepo na siri kama
huyajui uliza wenzio,jipeleleze ujiulize usimtafute
mbaya mjue wewe mwenyewe..".

Baadae 'dada' huyo akaeleza mkasa uliomkuta hata
ikafika kuachana na mumewe wa kwanza.Inaonekana
alipata mume ambae hakuwa anamuogopa Allah kwani mume
huyo alikuwa anataka kwenda "kinyume na maumbile".Hapo
mke alidai talaka na yakesha.Hapa ndio nilipotanabahi
kwanini hakutaka kutaja jina lake katika kipindi hicho
kwani aliyasema hayo yaliyomkuta bila kisisi.

Hapo 'kaka' nae akaelezea namna alivyoroa kwa mwanamke
ambae anasema alikutana nae mitaani tu na baadae
akaoana nae baada ya mapenzi ya kitambo.Kaka huyo
akajinata kwa kusema kuwa yeye hafikirii kabisa kuoa
mke mwengine kwani kwa ajuavyo yeye hawezi kuoa mke
mwengine mpaka atape ruhsa ya mkewe wa kwanza.Na
anasema ruhsa kama hiyo haiwezi kupatikana.Hapo
kikatiwa kibwagizo cha...,"Umbo langu dawa
ameshanipenda pete kwangu kawa nami kwake chanda.."

Kaka huyo akaendelea kujinata kuwa yeye kamwe hawezi
kumuendea kinyume mkewe kwa kuwa na nyumba ndogo kwani
ana pete kidoleni ambayo kavishwa na mkewe na hiyo
pete ni kama mkewe kila anapokwenda.Hivyo hawezi 'kuwa
asi mbele ya mkewe'.

Baadae dada akaendelea kwa kusema ndoa nyingi hupata
matatizo kutokana na baadhi ya wazazi kuingilia maisha
ya watoto wao walioowa au kuolewa.Hapo kikatiwa
kibwagizo.."wembe umechezea umekukata kidole,usilie
usilie umeyataka mwenyewe".

Kuhusu kwanini wanaume huoa zaidi ya mke mmoja dada
alisema yeye anakubaliana na dini bila ya mushkeli
lakini yeye siku mumewe atakapoowa mwengine basi yeye
atadai talaka kitu ambacho alisema kwanza Uislamu
haukipendelei na pia ni tabu kupatikana kama mwanamme
hataki na kakusudia kukukomoa.Anasema yeye alidai
talaka kwa miaka mitatu ndio akaipata.

Akaendelea kusema wanaume huoa mke mwengine kwa kile
anachokidai kuwa ni stage ambayo wanaume wakifika huwa
wanataka wawe na waonekane mabwana na wawe wanapepewa
kutoka kila upande.Akasema ndio utaona leo utawaona
wanachukua  'nzi' huyu kesho na 'mende' yule.hapo
kilirudiwa kile kibwagizo cha..."Mpenzi nipepee nna
usingizi nataka kulala.."

Mwisho dada alisema kuwa aonavyo yeye mapenzi yapo
lakini huwezi kuyakamata yamekaa kama mawingu.


Alipoulizwa kama ana wimbo wa kizungu unaomkosha
alisema ni wimbo wa Whitney Houston usemao.."it is not
right but it's OK.."

Kipindi kilimalizia kwa kibwagizo cha "..waniona
nnazama baharini naghariki...".

Kwa bahati mbaya au nzuri mtayarishaji wa kipindi
hicho Ruth Evans hakutia lake neno.Labda aliwaachia
wenye meno watafune.

kama kutatokea makosa yoyote humu ndani ya hii habari
basi sehemu kubwa itakuwa ni yangu na sio
mtayarishaji. Na kwa wale waliopata nafasi ya
kukisikiliza hicho kipindi wataona kuwa kuna baadhi ya
mambo ama yalinipita au nimeyaacha.Kwa maelezo zaidi
soma hii habari hapa chini.

SONGS OF THE EARTH

Songs of love and loss. 

For nearly 2000 years the islands of Zanzibar, off the
coast of East Africa, has been an important centre for
trade and a meeting point for African, Arabic, Asian
and European influences. Taarab music is a fusion of
all these influences: in fact the word Taarab derives
from the Arabic verb tariba, which means "to be moved
or agitated". In Swahili is has come to mean the event
itself, as well as the music which is often performed
by large and elaborate orchestras.

Musicians play the oud, dumbak and Kanun, and the song
lyrics are considered to be poetry in their own right.


Ruth Evans travelled to Zanzibar to record Heavy
Hearts, the first programme in the series which charts
the emotional life and landscape of the country. She
discovered that the words in modern Taarab are much
more direct and to the point. No sooner has a
performance begun than women start tipping the singers
in appreciation of the song, especially the lyrics.
This tipping - or tuzo - is used as a way of adding
particular meanings to the words and to direct them at
other members of the audience. 

Continued over Words printed on the traditional kanga,
the wrap around cloth worn in a variety of ways, also
contain similar messages which often result in vicious
verbal and emotional battles. "Compared to me, you are
just a small fish," goes one song, "For I am like a
whale. Don't swagger because you have no tongue to
speak with. You cannot cheat me, even though you do
not dare stand before me. He is with ME now, and he
hasn't got any more use for you!"