Taarab revival: Siti and the Band release Uchungu wa Mwana video

The song was originally composed by pioneering taarab singer Siti Binti Saad in the early 1900s. This is the first time that a younger generation of artists have opted to revive the composition. The song features rapper G Nako, who is the co-founder of Tanzanian Afro-hip hop group Weusi Kampuni, alongside Lord Eyes, Joh Makini and Nikki wa Pili.

It offers advice to young women on love and marriage, with bandleader Siti Amina attaching personal experiences to it as a single mother who had to divorce her husband to pursue a music career.

“I wanted to make this song for the youth of the new generation and send a strong message to my audience, especially young girls,” Amina said. “As women, we are taking a major part in raising our kids. It takes up a lot of our time and energy, so we need to be careful about deciding when we want to have a baby and with whom, as it determines the future of our lives.”

This new single follows the release of ‘Subira’ in May. Meanwhile, the band’s European tour to Austria and Germany, which was scheduled for August, has been postponed to next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.