Home

Faki Makame 1943 - 2020 (77)

Old habits can be a burden, when we have become so alike.


QUOTES



Makame Faki (1943-2020) was a musician from Zanzibar who became one of the most famous musicians in his country. From a young age, Faki was involved in music, initially playing drums and singing; he continued learning violin, oud, flute, accordion. Gradually he became known for his hoarse, baritone voice, one of the most famous songs is "Mazowea Yana Tabu" or "Old Habits Can Be a Burden",

Makame Faki became famous in East Africa and around the world touring with the Culture Music Club, founded in 1958 and being one of the oldest and most prolific orchestras of taarab music, the "national sound" of Zanzibar, a fusion of Arabic and African rhythms symbolizing centuries of trade and exchange along the Swahili coast. He was also known as the master of kidumbak, the traditional drum unique to the Zanzibar Islands. He died on January 18, 2020, at the age of 77, at Global Hospital in Stone Town, Zanzibar, after a short illness.