Zili(zo)pendwa: Dance Music and Nostalgia in East Africa

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East African "classic" music, known in Tanzania as zilipendwa or in Kenya as zilizopendwa (literally, "those which were loved") is making a comeback. Artists such as Samba Mapangala, Les Wanyika, Daudi Kabaka, Mlimani Park Orchestra, Ottu Jazz, Mbaraka Mwinshehe, Marijani Rajabu, and Tabora Jazz can be heard being played either on sound systems at clubs or weddings, or being rendered live by cover bands to warm up the crowd before playing their own numbers. With the exception of youth who are under the spell of the explosive Swahili version of hip hop and R&B, (called Bongo Flava in Tanzania, Genge or Kapuka in Kenya) these gentle old songs still carry meaning and grace the night at many dance halls, discos, bars, hotels and social functions in Nairobi, Kisumu, Eldoret, Mombassa, Arusha, Mwanza, Morogoro, Tanga, and Dar es Salaam. These songs are also covered, remixed, and sampled by rap artists, and they are also played in church. What is fascinating about the nostalgia for this music is the intensity with which it is happening: it is nothing short of a nostalgia movement. The undergirding theme of this collection of articles will demonstrate how nostalgia for zili(zo)pendwa is far from being a melancholic rumination over days long-past, but is enacted instead for the sake of health and community well-being. Zili(zo)pendwa is a conscious act towards musicking the values of a fading era, creating temporary autonomous zones where by Review Authors and Titles of Recordings Reviewed)