zilipendwa: the sound of Tanzania // interview
Interviewed & Written by Sana Rizvi
The topic of preservation of music, its histories and interdisciplinary practices that tie the WOMEX 2019 Film Programme together doesn’t ring much louder than in the documentary from Tanzania - Wahenga (The Ancestors). The film is part of the Film Library, that features an extended selection of seven films in total highlighting new projects, collaborations including previews of unreleased films.
The film introduces the audience to the story of guitarist John Kitime, who is on a mission to put together an all-star band from the old days to revive 'Zilipendwa', the classic Tanzanian sound. Weaving memories of the past and dreams for the future, John and his bandmates revisit an era of gleaming horns and packed dance halls as they struggle to keep alive a genre of music that is inseparable from the national narrative.
WOMEX Film's Sana Rizvi, had the pleasure of talking to the multifaceted Rebecca Corey who is not only the co-director/producer of the film but also the managing and artistic director of Nafasi Art Space, a multidisciplinary centre for contemporary arts in Dar es Salaam and co-founder of the Tanzania Heritage Project, which digitises, archives, records and promotes Tanzanian music.
Read more: https://www.womex.com/virtual/piranha_arts_1/news/zilipendwa_the_sound
