Tanzania: Wahenga music documentary to screen at Nafasi Art Space

The documentary tells the story Tanzanian jazz musician John Kitime as he sets out to assemble an all-star band of veteran musicians to revive the zilipendwa sound. As Kitime plays with the band, spends time with musicians and digitises reels from the 1960s and '70s, he reveals the fascinating and little-known zilipendwa story.

He also meets the people who played a critical role in the Tanzanian music scene during the struggle for independence.

The film was directed by Nafasi Art Space head Rebecca Corey and Tanzanian film director Amil Shivji.

Corey told Music In Africa that the audience would resonate with the film because it emphasised the importance of community, family and music to keep memories alive.

“Wahenga is a story told from a specific moment in time – where the music of the past is sometimes little more than a fading memory that’s in danger of disappearing,” she said.

“Rather than being a sad story, this is one that gives hope because it shows that some people are fighting to keep that music alive and can still play it with the same energy they had in the '60s, '70s and '80s.”

Wahenga has already been screened at Film Africa (UK), Fespaco (Burkina Faso), the New African Film Festival (US) and Sabolai Music Radio Festival (Ghana).