The lyrics of traditional taarab music would typically be laden with hidden meanings. The lyrical composers would self-consciously and indulgently invoke symbolism in most songs. "Most composers ...

When Zanzibar-born Taarab icon Fatuma binti Baraka alias Bi Kidude passed on at a golden age of 102 in April 2013, all eyes were on the genre’s rising stars, emblems of the music’s future.