At a time when cultural musical styles have rapidly evolved, an East African genre that is nearly a century old is struggling to retain its identity. Contemporary influences have had a huge impact on taarab music, which today is radically different from what has been the defining sound of the East Coast of Africa for generations.
But there are still a few bands that have retained the unique flavour of the music, rooted in Swahili poetry and rich instrumentation, amid the fusion that has given birth to the heavily synthesised sound of modern taarab.
