A WOMAN TO KNOW, ZANZIBAR'S MUSICAL AMBASSADOR BI KIDUDE!

Bi Kidude (this pic makes me smile...) she's fierce y'all!

The poster for the documentary

With Age Comes Wisdom they Say!!

Thank you Lord for this gift and thank you Miss BeautyinBLTM*, I kinda needed the random push:)

When I read about Bi Kidude even though I haven't listened to her music yet ,I knew I had to blog about this magnificient Fierce woman..

Mrs Bi Kidude is just fiya...!!

Let me start of by saying that she's in her nineties today but still playing the drum ....

Her date of birth is unknown but it's believed to be in the 1920's (waouh where we you @ that time, I know I was yet to be conceived...lol)

She grew up in a large family of 7 children, her upbringing was modest ; her daddy was a coconut seller..

Not much is said about her early childhood, but we know that she was married against her will in her teens...; the first time she escaped at the age of 13 to Tanzania.

The 2nd time I'm not clear about the circumstances but I do know that she flew once again but this time to Egypt.

This is where she applied & discovered her musician talents, she played w/various

Egytian dance bands (aight...!!)

It's important for me to underline that at that time , the Islamic rules and traditions were really in vigor.

Maybe that will help you understand how bold and fierce it was for a woman in the late 30s and 40s to stop wearing the veil and shave their heads;

-Maybe also that will help u understand a bit better why she's considered to be an

avant-gardiste...

Kidude is at Master of the traditional musical stylle called Unyago which is a musical initiation to young women in the art of pleasing men while still educating them about the

dangers of physical abuse...ect..

Still late in her life she chooses to stand by what she believes, not letting anybody put her in a box,when she was in her 80s she was still singing, smoking, drinking dancing,living life her way.

2005 was a great year for Kidude, she received in front of the elite of world music, the acclained WOMEX award which celebrates the musical legacy and contribution of an artist to world music.

There was supposed to be a documentary about her life in 2006 called :
"As Old As My Tongue -The Myth and Life of Bi Kidude"(could be quite interesting)

Anywhoo , people she's def' an AFRICAN WOMAN NEEDED TO BE CELEBRATED:)

Djaa Zanzibaris Women are Fierce:)

Eyee Wayee:)