We are interested in music and dance from coastal East Africa..... Mombasa, Dar as Salaam, and the beautiful island of Zanzibar.
The style known as "Taraab" is Swahili East African music with strong Arabic and Indian influences.
A little over 100 years ago, the Sultan of Zanzibar sent musicians to Egypt, Turkey, and Syria to study Oud, Qanoon, Violin, and learn Maqam [Arabic modal practice] They returned and "Taraab" was born. Sung in Kiswahili, the music is often heard at weddings and public celebrations.
East African Taraab is a diverse genre, with Zanzibar displaying a strong tendency to remaining loyal to the classical Arabic style, in instrumentation as well as musical ornamentation.The drum section is more than often traditional Arabic percussion, including dumbek, riq and frame drum. Mombasa taraab uses oud and violin in conjuction with accordion and other modern instruments such as the guitar and organ,with bongos and even jazz drum kits keeping the beat.The rythymn is decidedly African in feel. East Africa's South Asian diaspora Indian population demonstrates it's influence in the very Bombay film music sounds of Dar Es Salaam, and the percussion section almost always includes tablas.
At the core of all this are the lyrics, sung in Kiswahili, and the songs, which are unanimously all about...love.

http://tribes.tribe.net/taraab