However, every Tanzanian generation sees huge change in the role of tradition, including music. Within another two generations, the ancient music I still heard every day will be found only in museums. Walking down a path at the village's edge, I passed this young man and heard him working and singing. He was removing the red inner bark from miombo trees and stripping it into lengths of rope, to be used in everything from strapping to house construction to repairing cooking pots. He was enthusiastically singing songs from the swahili and wagogo traditions while he hacked and split the bark.
People often gather to drink, talk and sing.
With so few ways to get news, these party-like meetings are the main way that most people learn about the world. In this case, I was invited to join this group, which saw I had a tape recorder and suggested they sing for it. Many people seemed pleased to hear their own voices, as a kind of technological recognition of their value. Music is an integral part of every service in the four churches of Ilakala. Nominally, about half of Ilakalans are Christian and half Muslim, though most follow non-christian practices to some extent.