Tanzania

From the Swahili coast and Zanzibar to the Maasai plains, Tanzania is a cradle of Swahili culture and Bantu craft.

Music & dance Crafts Textile & dress Language & oral Building & habitat

Knowledge in this place

Taarab music

Taarab music

A Zanzibari sung genre fusing Swahili poetry with Arab and Indian melody.

Makonde carving

Makonde carving

Intricate ebony carvings, including the interlinked 'tree of life' figures.

Kanga cloth

Kanga cloth

Printed cotton wraps bearing Swahili proverbs worn by women along the coast.

Textile & dress

Swahili language

Swahili language

A Bantu lingua franca enriched by Arabic, used across East Africa.

Language & oral

Zanzibar Stone Town

Zanzibar Stone Town

Coral-stone houses with carved wooden doors blending African, Arab and Indian styles.

Building & habitat