Kenya & Tanzania: Witchcraft & Ritual Music

Va-Kenya & Tanzania

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 17, 1991)
• Original Release Date: 1991
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Nonesuch
• ASIN: B000005IWH
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #242,694 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #7 in	Music > World Music > Africa > Kenya
  #14 in	Music > World Music > Africa > Tanzania

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Mojo, October 14, 2002

By	Zekeriyah (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Don't come to this CD expecting nganga, cannibalism and dark witchcaft. Nor should you come to this CD expecting contemporary African music (although you could see some of my other reviews for that). Instead, this CD is a survey of the religious and healing musical traditions in Kenya and Tanzania. Made at a time when many traditions were all but unknown to the outside world, the detailed linear notes do show some dating. For instance, I'm not sure the term "witch" or "witchdoctor" should even be used. Given the negative view of witches in African culture, the term shaman or priest might be more appropriate. None the less, the music here is still potent. This is real tribal music, focusing on healing traditions, as well as spirituality and rites of passage. Give this CD a look.

7 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Authentic but on the dark side; not easy listening, August 1, 1998

By A Customer

My acquaintance with Tanzanian music comes from two years' residence near a village on the outskirts of Dar-es-Salaam 20 years ago. The drums beat all night long on many nights, and the women chanted and trilled. This CD sounds reasonably authentic but not the upbeat, vibrant sound I heard most often. This CD sounds like devil music, but lacks the strong repetitive power of many chants I have heard. As the title indicates: bad witchcraft. This CD is definitely the dark side of Africa--a side I never really experienced in two years of speaking Swahili every day.