Bi Kidudé

The "Grand old lady of Taarab", Bi Kidude (born: Fatuma Bintibaraka) had a major effect on the music and culture of Zanzibar. Singing in Arabic and Swahili, Kidude influenced the evolution of taarab, a music style that originated in Egypt and usually accompanied by fiddles, flutes, drums and rattles. Kidude was equally inspirational for her resistance to the traditional roles of women in her homeland. Although she initially obeyed the Islamic custom of covering herself from head to toe while in public, she broke with tradition, deviantly raised her veil and allowed her audienc...