Maongezi na Wasanii/ Interview with Arushan Artists : Gsan of Xplastaz and Prosper Shayo of Moto Mkali

Habari,

Nilipata fursa kuongeya na Gsan Rutta na Mafanikio Shayo wa Moto Mkali, wote wasanii wa Arusha na wana Hip-Hop kuhusu waraka nilikokuwa nauandaa kuhusu historia ya vijana wa Arusha. Huu waraka unachapishwa na chuo kikuu cha Yale hapa Marekani. Kwa ufupi mazungumzo yetu yalilenga juu ya masuala ama maswali kwanini vijana waliunda makundi ya sanaa, walipata wapi maliasili kwa ajili ya mashairi yao. Hali kadhalika, maswali yalilenga nyakati hawa wasanii waliibuka na kwa nini vijana waliamua kuchukua mziki kama njia ya kuzungumzia masuala yanayowakabili. Yalikuwa mazungumzo mazuri sana yenye kusisimua hata kama wewe sio mfuatiliaji wa muziki ama Hip-Hop kwa ujumla maana wanayozungumzia hawa vijana ni masuala ya kimaisha, ukosefu wa kazi, siasa za Mwalimu Nyerere za Ukombozi, utamaduni na maingiliano kati ya makabila, dini na tamaduni mbalimbali.  Jumuika nami katika hya mazungumzo yanayomulika jitihada za vijana katika kujenga maisha bora na Tanzania bora yenye usawa, haki, na maendeleo.

picha na DJ J4

Gsan utangulizi

Gsan na maoni yake kuhusu mitindo ya miziki

Sanaa ya kurekodi vionyo vya kiasili kutumia technologia ya kisasa

Prospa Shayo anazungumza kuhusu muziki, asili, na historia

Inaendelea kutokea kipengele cha kwanza

Inaendelea kutokea kipengele cha pili

Mazungumzo kuhusu mwanzo wa kikundi cha Hi V baadaye Moto Mkali

Mazungumzo kuhusu Ukimwi na mada ya muziki

Mazungumzo kuhusu technology na athari yake kwenye sanaa ya kuimba

Greetings,

I had a wonderful and rare opportunity to speak with Gsan Rutta and Prosper Shayo of Moto Mkali group. They are both Arusha artists, channeling their artistic energies through Hip-Hop. I interviewed them to gather materials for a book chapter I am writing about the history of youth movement in Arusha town. The work will be published by Yale throug the African Studies Program. In brief, our discussions centered around the issues and questions of youth cultural movements. Specifically, I asked questions about why the youth in the periphery of Arusha town like Kijenge formed these nascent,informal organizations. Because music was one way these organizations channeled their grievances and concerns, I was curios where these artists found examples/inspirations/materials for their artistic productions. The discussion were interesting, riveting as they combined personal experiences and memories to make sense of a cultural movement that these young people were part of. This exchange was interesting even if you are not a music enthusiast because it is through cultural production like music young people speak and contest dominant narratives of power, ownership and culture.  These young people spoke about culture,urban dislocation, thoughts of Mwalimu Nyerere,  and globalization. Join this conversation and get a sense of how young people are engaged in the a creation a better individual and a prosperous Tanzania.

Best regards,

Mohamed Yunus

Asili ya Msegeju /The Origions of Segeju : A talk with Segeju and Digo elders

Habari marafiki,

Kuna jambo lengine nataka kuwashirikisha nalo ni haya majadiliano kuhusu asili ya Wasegeju, maingiliano kati ya Wadigo na Wasegeju, Utani kati ya Wazaramo , Wadigo na Wasegeju. Ni majadiliano kati ya vijana, na wazee. Kwenye mahojiano haya nazungumza na Bi Tajiri ya Bondo na Mzee Ali ya Asuaka mjini Tanga, Tanzania mwezi wa sita mwaka 2005. Kama nilivyosema hapo awali azma yangu kwanza ni kushirikiana kazi tuliofanya Aang Serian na kuwasaidia watu wengi wanaofanya kazi katika masuala ya historia ya makabila, elimu ya asili, taasisi, na masuala ya lugha. Basi karibu msikilize hii taarifa tuliowaandalia hapa.

Buying fresh caught fish in Tanga, Tanzania summer 2007

Asante,
Mohamed Yunus

Greetings,
I want to share with you these recordings that I have been doing since 1993 on issues of indigenous knowledge, cultural history, language preservation and research,political systems and traditional medicine. In this particular recording, I am speaking with two elders Bi Tajiri ya bondo (Digo) and Mzee Ali ya Asuwaka (Segeju) about the origins of the Segeju, joking relationships between Segeju,Zaramo and Digo, and cultural contacts between Arabia and East Africa. I would like readers to first gain knowledge about this Tanzanian history and secondly, stimulate research on these matters. This information is extremely rare to access. I hope this assists us in rediscovering our past and reflecting how we can use this history, of course in building confidence and identity, but also to use it as analytical framework to question contemporary issues. Dive in and enjoy the conversations.

Mazungumzo na Wazee/ A talk with Elders
Kipande hichi ni kuhusu harusi ya Wasegeju ni namna gani wachumba walikutana, na ni namna gani wazee na jamii nzima inahusika katika kuwaleta wapendao pamoja. This segment is how marriage is conducted among the Segeju and the whole proceess of negociation between the two families and the role of mshenga, the person who goes to announce the intentions of the boy

Mashairi ya Kuimbana ilikuwa ni njia moja ya jamii kuelezea na kuchambua matatizo yake ya kijamii. Haya yalikuwa ni mashairi yalioundwa kwa ustadi wa juu kwa kutumia mafumbo,misemo, na vitendawili ili kufikisha ujumbe wake. Haya mazungumzo ni kuhusu mfano wa taasisi hii ya mashairi ya kuimbana kutoka kijiji cha Mnyanjani, Tanga Tanzania. Wazee wanasema haya mashairi yametoka miaka ya arobaini.
Mashairi ya Kuimbana was a popular way of airing of grievances among the communities of the coast. These poems were crafted cleverly employing sayings,proverbs,metaphors and double-language to critique and comment on issues about social relations and identity. This is an example of such an institution that was found in Mnyanjani village, Tanga Tanzania. The estimated years are 1940s.
Kipande cha kwanza:

Kiande cha pili:

Asili ya Wasegeju ni jambo lenye matata mengi mpaka sasa, majadiliano bado yanaendelea haya ni mazungumzo kuhusu nani ni Msegeju na ametokea sehemu gani.
The issue of Segeju identity is an issue that has received a lot debates. This is a discussion about who is a Segeju and where is he/she from. The speakers also touch on the relationship between the Digos and Segeju and suggests that a Segeju is a Digo and not a different group. Listen for more details:

Natumai umepata mawili matatu kutokana na haya mazungumzo na utaweza kufanya utafiti wako
I hope you enjoyed these conversations and that they have inspired you to do your own research,

Mohamed Yunus Rafiq

Utafiti Kuhusu Ngoma/Asili ya Makabaila: Research on Dance socities/ Origions of “Tribes”

Habari wote,
Kwa miaka mingi Aang Serian tumekuwa tukikusanya taarifa,hadithi, maongezi, na mahojiano mbalimbali kuhusu masuala ya makabila. Katika majadiliano haya kuhusu makabila tumekuwa tukiangalia masuala mengi kama vile ndoa, utumiaji wa mali asili, ngano za kale, nyimbo, ngoma, michoro na chata za kiasili na mengi mengineyo. Ukweli ni kwamba kulimbikiza hizi taarifa bila kushirikiana haina maana na haitimizi lengo la elimu yaani kushirikiana kwa yale tunayojua na kuendelea kuchambua yaliofanyiwa utafiti. Katika makala haya nataka kuwashirikisha utafiti na ambao nimekuwa nikifanya kuhusu ngoma, jumuiya ya vijana, matumizi ya technologia na kadhalika. Utafiti mwingi umefanyika kwenye makabila ya kaskazini mwa Tanzania. Nafikiri kuna kazi kubwa ya kufanya kusini mwa Tanzania.Nitakuwa pia narekodi maongezi yangu mwenyewe kufafanua haya masuala na labda kama kutakuwa na masuala fulani yalioulizwa na wasomaji nitajitahidi kurekodi majibu ama kuongeya na wenzangu ili turekodi maoni ama majibu ili kushirikiana. Azma yangu kubwa hapa ni kushirikiana shughuli niliofanya nikiwa Aang Serian na pia kuzua mjadala kuhusu masuala ya elimu na utamaduni. Wahenga walisema, “Msahau kwao mtumwa.”
Wenu,
Mohamed Yunus

Greetings,
For many years Aang Serian has been involved in the preservation of culture by documenting wide range of oral knowledge including stories,discussions, questions to elders, and interviews, basically written as well as audio/visual ethnographies, from different indigenous groups of Tanzania but many in the Northern Tanzania. These groups include the Chagga,Hazabe, Maasai, Warangi, and Wasegeju. Our focus have been to document practices and institutions such as marriage, rite of passage, dance societies, songs, traditional resource management, traditional medicine, and traditional drawing and art forms. It is not our intention to sit on this knowledge that we ourselves cannot either expand it or share it with others. This blog is about this desire to share and secondly stimulate a critical discussions of these forms of knowledge and their relevancy or non-relevancy to our current struggles in Tanzania and the whole continent. Therefore, I will be posting videos of the works that we have done as well as audio recordings. Most of this in Kiswahili but I try to provide translations and I will be occasionally recording some discussion or reply to readers. In this exercise, I will also concern other Aang Serian members and experts in general to share what they know. So I welcome you all to this post that contains some of the numerous interviews I have conducted with elders in Tanga, Tanzania and we will also begin to focus in other areas.

Kind regards,
Mohamed Yunus

Mwaka 2008 nilikuwa kwenye kijiji cha Pongwe karibu na Shimoni Kenya. Kuna vijiji kadhaa vya Kisegeju. Mimi pamoja na wanafunzi wanaoijifunza Kiswahili kutoka Yale tulienda kuongeya na wazee kuhusu kabila la Wasegeju.

Maingiliano ya Kilugha ama ukaribu kati ya Gikuyu na Kisegeju : Hichi kipande ni maswali na majibu kuhusu ukaribu wa lugha hizo mbili. Kipande hichi pia kinahusu vita vya Wasegeju na Wagala na sababu ya vita hivyo. Vijana na elimu ya Kisegeju. Matatizo ya kujifunza elimu kwa wazee. Zawadi kwa wazee inayoitwa Tumbaku ama ada ili wazee wakupe elimu ama taarifa unazohitaji.

Mashairi ya Kuimbana: Hapa wazee na wanakijiji wa Kidumuni wanazungumzia vita vya Wagalla lakini pia wanazungumzia kuhusu Mashairi ya Kuimbana na jinsi gani kwenye vita vya kuimbana kuna umuhimu wa kuwajua utakao waimba.

Majadiliano Kuhusu Utunzaji wa Utamaduni na Lugha ya Kisegeju: Lugha kadhaa za Tanzania zimo hatarini kupotea ikiwemo Kihadzabe, Kindorobo na Kisegeju. Haya ni mazungumzo na wanakijiji kuhusu jitihada za kutunza mila na desturi na matatizo mengi yanaofanya hio kazi kuwa ngumu ama rahisi

Majadiliano Kuhusu Nyimbo: mazungumzo kuhusu asili ya Wasegeju, jee walikuwa wakulima, wavuvi, ama wafugaji. Jee ile nyimbo isemayo, “msegeju ana ngombe nami na ngombe zangu namwambia tuchanganye hataki na mimi nakwenda zangu.” Pata undani wa hii historia.

Arushan Sounds

Habari Machizi,
Ni kitu kigumu sana kuanza kuchambua wakati fulani wa kihistoria kama vile maisha yako wakati wa Ujamaa ama mento ama nyimbo ambayo mchizi wako ama wewe mwenyewe ulitengeneza. Kwa mfano sisi tuliokulia Arusha tulikuwa kwenye mandhari yenye utajiri mkubwa sana wa kiutamaduni maana majirani na ndugu zetu walitokea kwenye jamii mbalimbali kama vile Wajamaica, Black Pathers, Wamaa, Warangi, Wahindi na jamii nyingie ukiacha dini mbalimbali pia. Kwa hio, mimi sasa nimejikuta katika hali hii ya udadisi maana nataka kujua hii sauti ya Arusha nini? Nikisikia nyimbo ya A-town mimi najua hii ni Arushan sound. Lakini jee kuna mengine tunayoweza kusema kuhusu hii sauti yaani sifa zake nini, kitu gani inatofautisha Arusha na Bongoflava. Nitashukuru sana kama nitapata maoni yenu. Nina ambatanisha meto kadhaa hapa kama mifano. Naomba radhi pia kwa kutotoa habari kamili kuhusu wasanii wa nyimbo hizo, tarehe na taarifa nyingine za muhimu maana wakati huo uwekaji habari ulikuwa legelege kidogo. Lakini naomba kama una habari hizi naomba nitumie kwa ajili ya marejeo zaidi.
Asante sana mzuka mbele kwa mbele,
Mohamed Yunus

Translation in English

Greetings everyone,
It is somehow disorienting when you began questioning a historical moment that you have been a part of or questioning an artistic process that you were a part of. This is a situation that I have found myself into after coming here in the US. I have been thinking and questioning many facets of my childhood such as growing in Ujamaa era with neighbors and big brothers from diverse backgrounds as the Black Panthers, Jamaican community, Maasai, Hindus, and other diverse communities of Arusha. Music is another aspect of my life in Tanzania that I have began probing both as a personal and academic pursuit. I am currently interested in understanding what is Arushan sound if something like that really exist. I mean when I listen to one I know it but how can I go beyond my own internal understanding of this soundscape and argue or prove that such a sound exists? I would really appreciate if you, readers, have ideas or some comments. I know some of you have produced these music in various capacities such as producers, artists, chorus members, and as well as mentors to others. Please offer your comments and advice. I am linking some tracks here that were produced at Aang Serian community studio during the years 1999 to 2000 as examples. I apologize for not including the full descriptions of the crews, their names, and the exact day of recordings as you know gives we were never very good at documenting the artistic production we produced.

Videos related to Aang Serian

This links has various links to videos produced about or around issues related to ASPV.

This video is about the Aang Serian Recording Studio

An interview by Baobabconnections

Dira Project initiated by Eddy Pius and Freddy Nganga

Sio Lazima video made by Tekupu, a Maori Hip-Hop artist. The music was recorded at Aang Serian Recording Studio at Arusha, Tanzania. The studio was managed then by Chindo. The artists featured include JCB, Kwele, Chindo, Stoppa Rythms and others.

Old pictures : Picha za zamani

Habari, I have included some pictures that have been taken myself and other volunteers to share with you. I hope you enjoy. I am also including a line of poetry to supplement the pictures.

The drum speaks

By Mohamed Yunus Rafiq

Kinkin Kinkin Kinkin [the old drum with an ancient skin cries, calling people]

Ki Ki Ki [smaller drum reinforces the message of the old one saying the great star has departed from the sky]

Kin Kin Ki Ki Ki [they both beat in unison like a heart of lovers]

Indigenous Knowledge Discussions Class 2000-2001

The great star has departed,

how can we navigate our boats,

the great star has moved,

how can we find our destiny,

It was there with great brilliance showing us the way,

now the sky casts a blank stare

The sea is angry and tossing our boat like a matchbox,

This monstrous sea will divulge us,

Torrents will tear us into pieces, The great star has vanished,how can we know who we are,

IK class on Zanzibari and Pemba refugees problems in 2000

The cosmic umbilical cord has been severed, how can we trace the foots of our ancestors,

The roots of Erereti have been uprooted,where can we seek council,

where can we receive the aquatic spears,The blue whale is frozen in the reefs of pemba,

the octopus with its thousand feet is exhausted,in trying to capture the intensity of the departure,

the crabs borrow themselves in the primordial sea-rock,chanting a silent submarine melody,

The star that shot rays to the deep seas of our inner self,has moved,

I search for you,The mountain tops of your stories and love,

the deep valleys of your struggle to create happiness,The canopy of your trust in your family,

where are you great star,we need you,our boat is in trouble the seas are boiling,

Aang Serian member taking notes during the meeting

like the pot in three stones,The sharks are side tracking our vessel,

can I see the path that you charted?

Do I have the strength to keep the journey,

They say, mtoto wa nyoka ni nyoka,

The son / daughter of snake is snake,

I will coil and create a circle,

that will bring all my ancestors together,

I will stretch and be a bridge for others,

If you shone for others,

I will be another light,

IK discussion in 2001

I will radiate outside and inside,

My tears that I cry now are bridges that will reach to you,

Awake the wise-dom and confidence you instilled in me,

Make me the standing spear that I am,

I see the wrinkles around your eyes,

warrior scars and medals of victory,

pass the wisdom.

By Mohamed Yunus (c) 2007

Prosper Shayo leading a discussion in IK class 2000.

Wellcome to the official AangSerian Blog :: Karibu kwenye Blogu ya Aang Serian

Greetings Everyone,

It has been a long time since many of us, who have volunteered or worked for AangSerian, communicated or exchanged our experiences at Aang Serian with each other. But this blog is not only about that: it is about what is going on with Aang Serian currently and also how the Aang Serian and the African experience influenced the way we look at Africa, talk of Africa, and relate to Africa. It is also about how this experience is currently informing our current work in academia, workplace, or community building. I urge you that in this moment–the presidency of Obama and the continual suffering and victories of Africans–to comment, contribute and reflect on your experience, thoughts, and lessons in the spirit of contributing to the fight against the enemies of mankind: disease, war,poverty, and crime.

This blog is open to broad views,experiences and lessons. There is no limit or restrictions of what can be contributed. It is through listening and sharing our ideas that we can capture the beauty and power of Ubuntu philosophy: it is because we are , I am.

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