Taraab Music

Taarab is a music genre popular in Tanzania and Kenya. It is influenced by music from the cultures with a historical presence in East Africa, including music from East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Taarab rose to prominence in 1928 with the rise of the genre's first star, Siti binti Saad.

Here is a small piece from a Taarab performance we saw at Monsoon Restaurant in Stone Town, Zanzibar.

Blue-Green Beauty

The name Tanzania derives from the names of the two states Tanganyika and Zanzibar that united in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, which later the same year was renamed the United Republic of Tanzania. The Flag of Tanzania was adopted on 30 June 1964. It was a merger of the flags of Tanganyika and Zanzibar.

The Flag of Tanganyika:
The Flag of Zanzibar:
Et Voilà, The Flag of Tanzania:

The Lone Acacia

I often wondered about the images that pop up when he hear the word 'Africa' (or type it in Google for that matter). Sunsets, giraffes, elephants, lions... and the acacia tree (or two). For me, the image that remained etched in my mind after just a few days at Amboseli, is the image of the lone acacia tree. You turn your head and you see miles and miles of flat land, hills in the distance and directly in view, there it stands, the lone acacia tree. I saw it so often and wondered how the landscape managed so cleverly, to repeatedly bring into view, (with changing backgrounds), just one lone acacia, standing tall.

Iron Lady wins Nobel

Liberia's President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf wins the Nobel Prize for Peace along with Liberian Leymah Gbowee and Tawakul Karman of Yemen. Congratulations!

BBC Article.