What Kind Of Music Do Swahili People Listen To?

What kind of music do Swahili people listen to? They Listen to Taarab music, which has Arabic origins, and is performed at concerts and weddings. Band members play flutes, drums, keyboards, and brass instruments, to accompany singers. Many KiSwahili lyrics are double entendres (having double meanings) that hint at romantic love. At weddings,  several women's dance groups perform for all-female audiences ( chakacha, which is like belly dancing, and also lelemama, a very subtle dance with tiny hand movements).
KiSwahili oral literature includes sayings, songs, riddles, and stories. The main (written) form is poetry. KiSwahili poems include long epics, prayers, and meditations.

 SWAHILI MUSIC LINKS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xWWCo5EB6Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-TEIbAuOJE

What Kinds Of Clothes Do Swahili People Wear?

What kinds of clothes do Swahili people wear? In the early Twentieth century, women normally wore brightly colored (cotton) cloths. They were wrapped around  their waists and upper bodies, and draped over their heads and shoulders. Men wore a striped cloth around their waist that hung to their knees. As a mark of being Muslim, some men wore small white caps with elaborate tan embroidery.
Dressing well but modestly is highly valued. Women wear (Western-style) dresses in many fabrics, colors, and patterns. Outside the house, women wear black, floor-length cloak with an attached veil (buibui). Men wear (Western-style) shirts and trousers. Shorts are worn only by children.

                                             

What Are Some Swahili Traditions/Holidays?

What are some Swahili traditions/holidays? Swahili people celebrate the nation's secular public holidays.

These include (in Kenya), Jamhuri Day and Madaraka Day- which mark the steps toward Kenya's Independence in the early 1960s. In Tanzania, secular holidays are Labor Day (May 1), Zanzibar Revolution Day (January 12); Nane Nane (formerly Saba Saba— Farmer's Day, in August); Independence Day (December 9); and Union Day (April 26) (which commemorates the unification of Zanzibar and the mainland).


Religious Holidays include: Eid al-Fitr  (marks the end of the month of Ramadan). Eid al-Hajj (celebrates the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca). Each Eid is celebrated by praying, eating special foods and sweets, and visiting relatives and neighbors. During the month of Ramadan, Swahili (and all other Muslims) fast from sunrise to sunset. Maulidi, or the Prophet Muhammad's birthday, is widely celebrated by Muslims. Swahili people also celebrate the holiday of Kwanzaa. (The name Kwanzaa derives from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, meaning first fruits of the harvest.)

Information From:

http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Tajikistan-to-Zimbabwe/Swahili.html#ixzz2IcxhnObe

                                Mandazi

                      Beef Stew and Ugali

                        Wild Rice Pilau

        Coconut Beans and Chappati

   

                       Ugali and Sukuma

What Foods Do Swahili People Eat?

What foods do Swahili people eat?  Swahili foods, which are highly spiced, have African, Middle Eastern, and Indian influences. Rice (their staple food) is cooked with coconut milk, and served with tomato based meat, vegetable stews, or beans. Meals use locally-available vegetables (egg-plant, okra, spinach), fruits (mangoes, coconuts, pineapples), and spices (cloves, cardamon, hot pepper). Fish is also important to their diet. Chicken and goat meat are often used for holiday meals. Sweet Tea with Milk is drunken several times a day. 

RECIPE FOR: SWEET TEA W/ MILK

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons loose, black tea
• 1 cup milk (whole or 2 percent)
• 1 cup water
• 2 teaspoons (or more) sugar
• Pinch of ground ginger
• Pinch of ground cardamon

Directions

1. Combine tea, milk, and water in a saucepan. Heat until the mixture is just beginning to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
2. Increase the heat and bring the mixture just to the boiling point again. Stir in sugar (at least 2 teaspoons) and the ginger and cardamon.
3. To serve, pour tea through a strainer into cups.

Recipe from: http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Tajikistan-to-Zimbabwe/Swahili.html#ixzz2IctXOKcO

What Religion Do Swahili People Practice?

What religion do Swahili people practice?  Swahili people practice the religion of Islam. Swahili people recognize the Five Pillar of Faith:
1) Belief in Allah as the Supreme Being and in Muhammad as the most important prophet;
2) Praying five times a day; 3) Fasting from dawn to dusk during the month of Ramadan;
4) Giving charity; and
5) Making a pilgrimage (hajj) to the holy city of Mecca, if possible.
For Swahili people, Islam is a way of life.

What Language Do Swahili People Speak?

                                                       What language do Swahili people speak? Swahili people speak Swahili (KiSwahili). The Swahili language is a Bantu language, and is spoken by different ethnic groups along the Mozambique Canal. Swahili is spoken by 35 million people in Burundi, Congo (Kinshasa), Kenya, Mayotte, South Africa, Mozambique, Oman, Tanzania, Rwanda, Somalia, Uganda, UAE and the USA. Swahili is an official language in Tanzania, Ugenda, and Kenya. The language contains vocabulary from Arabic, Persian, Malagasy, English, German and Portuguese.

Sample
Watu wote wamezaliwa huru, hadhi na haki zao ni sawa. Wote wamejaliwa
akili na dhamiri, hivyo yapasa watendeane kindugu.

Translation
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Information From: http://www.omniglot.com/writing/swahili.htm

Where Do Swahili People Live?

Where do Swahili people live? They live on the East coast of Africa in Zanzibar, Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, and the Comoros (Islands).  The name  Swahili came from the Arabic word Sawahil- which  means  "Coastal Dwellers."
By living on the coast they have sustained a profitable fishing and shipping economy. The coastal plain provides fertile land for growing coconut palms, fruit trees, spices, and mangrove (in swamp areas). 

Swahili People

Swahili is one of the many ethnic groups in Africa. They are a Bantu ethnic group.( Bantu is a general label for 300-600 ethnic groups in Africa who speak Bantu languages)