Msondo Explained

The msondo (or msondro) is a type of drum played in the Swahili-speaking world, including Zanzibar and Comoros.^[1] It is featured in the region's genre of taarab or twarab music.

Construction

The Zanzibari version is described as "a slightly tapered, open-ended drum approximately 3 feet tall"^[2]

The Comorian version is described as made of a terra-cotta pitcher topped with goatskin.^[3]

Notes and References

1. Book: Lawrence G. Potter. The Persian Gulf in History. 6 January 2009. Palgrave Macmillan. 978-0-230-61845-9. 177–.
2. Book: Dr Janet Topp Fargion. Taarab Music in Zanzibar in the Twentieth Century: A Story of ‘Old is Gold’ and Flying Spirits. 26 February 2014. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.. 978-0-7546-5554-1. 108–.
3. Book: Frank Tenaille. Music is the Weapon of the Future: Fifty Years of African Popular Music. 2002. Chicago Review Press. 978-1-55652-450-9. 273–.