Bi Kidude

Fatuma binti Baraka, known to the world as Bi Kidude ('little thing'), was born around 1910 in the village of Mfagimarigo, Zanzibar. In the 1920s, she was mentored by the legendary Siti binti Saad, mastering the intricate vocal ornamentation and rhythms of classical Taarab.

Bi Kidude became the supreme master of Unyago—the sacred drumming and dancing initiation rites for young Swahili women. For decades, she toured globally with the Culture Musical Club and Twinkling Stars, astonishing international audiences at WOMAD festivals by playing the heavy msondo drum seated on stage and singing with raw, blues-drenched authority past the age of one hundred. In 2005, she received the prestigious WOMEX Award for outstanding contribution to world music.