Tanzania: Zawose Queens launch global tour with debut album

The tour begins on 10 May at WOMAD in Cáceres, Spain, with scheduled performances in Denmark, Sweden, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Italy, and Canada.

Hailing from one of Tanzania’s most revered musical dynasties, the Zawose Queens, Leah and Pendo, are descendants of the late Dr Hukwe Zawose, a legendary proponent of gogo music from the Wagogo people. Dr Zawose, who founded an arts college in Bagamoyo, trained many of his 17 children in the Gogo tradition, though his conservative beliefs relegated women to background roles in performance, limited to singing harmonies and playing the muheme drums.

Leah and Pendo, however, have redefined those boundaries. As singers, songwriters, and multi-instrumentalists, they are leading a new era in gogo music—one that puts women at the forefront. Their long-awaited debut album, Maisha, released in June 2024 on the UK-based Real World Records, marks the first time women from the Zawose family have taken centre stage as lead performers.

The duo’s album, Maisha – which means “life” in Swahili – has received international acclaim for its innovative fusion of traditional gogo rhythms with modern electronic elements. Sung in the Kigogo language, the album explores themes of nature, heritage, womanhood, and East African identity through richly layered harmonies and changeable polyrhythms. It features 11 tracks and collaborations with renowned artists, including Wamwiduka and Baba Leah, a master of the chizeze fiddle and early collaborator of Dr Zawose.

Recorded in a variety of unique locations, from Bagamoyo’s beaches to rooftops in Zanzibar, Maisha was produced by UK’s Oli Barton-Wood and Tom Excell. The result is a dynamic and genre-defying body of work that not only celebrates gogo musical traditions but reimagines them for global audiences.

The Zawose Queens’ transformation from background performers to cultural innovators was facilitated through workshops, jam sessions, and international collaborations, including with UK electronic DJs. The project was initiated by their manager Aziza Ongala and music producer Pepe Waziri, who brought the sisters into a British Council-funded initiative aimed at spotlighting female talent in East Africa.

As they prepare to take Maisha on tour, Leah and Pendo hope their journey will inspire a new generation of women artists across East Africa, showing that it is possible to honour cultural roots while embracing innovation.