A gateway to new worlds
If you listen closely, you can actually hear the port of Bagamoyo, Tanzania, in the background of The Zawose Queens’ album, Maisha. The music of these trailblazing women is opening up new possibilities for listeners and female musicians from Tanzania. Up until now, women have only been allowed to perform background vocals because of cultural traditions—but Pendo and Leah Zawose are now taking matters into their own hands. With their debut on Peter Gabriel’s Real World label, they’re encouraging other women to make their voices heard in a gorgeous mix of sounds about pride in the environment, tradition, and their East African roots. With traditional chizeze violin, buzzing thumb ionas (illimba), and ngoma drums, they take you—in their native Kigogo language—into a love affair with the rich traditions of their musical culture and family. After festivals like Glastonbury and WOMAD, Explore the North is the next stop for this exceptional duo’s Dutch debut.
“Maisha is a triumph, an endlessly satisfying assemblage of textures and timbres. The Zawose Queens emerge as deservedly confident performers who know exactly how to deliver the messages on their minds, honoring the past and engaging every moment of the present with full hearts.”
– Popmatters