Unyago

Unyago is the traditional music of Swahili women's initiation and wedding celebrations in Zanzibar and coastal Tanzania. Performed exclusively by women for female initiates, it centers on the large msondo drum, played standing with the hands, with massed female choruses singing instruction, praise and pointed social advice in Swahili. The songs prepare brides for marriage, combining frank teaching with satire and communal blessing, and are closed to male audiences in their ceremonial form. *Bi Kidude*, Zanzibar's most famous singer, was the tradition's leading custodian and brought its drumming to international recordings.