Kijiti
Siti Muraham

The musical traditions of these diverse cultures combined in Zanzibar to form taarab (from the Arabic, meaning “having joy with music”), a style of music performed by orchestral ensembles for entertainment at royal weddings and elite festive occasions in the 19th century.

Taarab music continued to evolve throughout the 20th century as differences in the gender, class, ethnicity and geographical location of the performers became more pronounced. The most influential of these performers was Siti binti Saad, the first female singer of taarab and the performer who brought the music out of the Sultan’s court and to a mass audience by singing in Swahili and becoming the first musician from Zanzibar to make commercial recordings in 1929. 

One of Siti binti Saad’s songs that is most treasured by taarab enthusiasts is Kijiti, a song composed to protest the injustices encountered by women. Kijiti was never recorded for commercial release, but was learned by other female taarab singers from Siti’s live performances and sustained by the oral tradition through women’s taarab groups. 

Tazameni tazameni, alivyofanya Kijiti
Tazameni tazameni, alivyofanya Kijiti
Kumchukuwa mgeni kumchezesha foliti
Kumchukuwa mgeni kumchezesha foliti
Kenda naye kumregesha maiti
Kenda naye kumregesha maiti.

Kijiti alinambia ondoka mama twenende
Kijiti alinambia ondoka mama twenende
Laiti ningelijuwa, ningekata nisiende
Laiti ningelijuwa, ningekata nisiende
Kijiti una niuwa, kwa pegi moja ya tende
Kijiti una niuwa, kwa pegi moja ya tende.

Kwa pegi moja ya tende,
Kwa pegi moja ya tende,
Kwa pegi moja ya tende,
Kwa pegi moja ya tende,
Kijiti una niuwa,
Kwa pegi moja ya tende
Kijiti una niuwa,
Kwa pegi moja ya tende

Jaji alikasirika kitini alipoketi
Jaji alikasirika kitini alipoketi
Kasema bilaliful mashahidi wa Kijiti
Kasema bilaliful mashahidi wa Kijiti
Tukafunga Sumaili na K binti Subeti
Tukafunga Sumaili na K binti Subeti 

Na K binti Subeti
na K binti Subeti
na K binti Subeti
na K binti Subeti
Tukafunga Sumaili na K binti Subeti
Tukafunga Sumaili na K binti Subeti.

Come and see, ooh come and see, the crime committed by Kijiti
Come and see, ooh come and see, the crime committed by Kijiti
He picked on a guest, charmed her and “forced her to play”
He picked on a guest, charmed her and “forced her to play”
Took her into the bushes by force, took her innocence and returned her dead.
Took her into the bushes by force, took her innocence and returned her dead.

Kijiti told me, stand up leave there and follow me “ma'am”
Kijiti told me, stand up leave there and follow me “ma'am”
If only had I known, I would refused to leave with him
If only had I known, I would refused to leave with him
Kijiti you have killed me, for a single shot of tende
Kijiti you have killed me, for a single shot of tende.

For a single shot of tende,
For a single shot of tende,
For a single shot of tende,
For a single shot of tende,
Kijiti you have killed me,
for a single shot of tende,
Kijiti you have killed me,
for a single shot of tende.

The judge was made mad where he sat
The judge was made mad where he sat
And shouted “bloody fools” to the witnesses of Kijiti
And shouted “bloody fools” to the witnesses of Kijiti
We jail you, Sumaili and K, the daughter of Subeiti
We jail you, Sumaili and K, the daughter of Subeiti.

And K, the daughter of Subeiti,
and K, the daughter of Subeiti,
and K, the daughter of Subeiti,
and K, the daughter of Subeiti,
We jail you, Sumaili and K, the daughter of Subeiti,
We jail you, Sumaili and K, the daughter of Subeiti..

Siti binti Saad was the first taarab singer to produce records, but some of her most popular pieces were never recorded for commercial release. One song in particular, Kijiti, was sustained in popular culture by women’s taarab groups who learnt the song from Siti binti Saad’s live performances and preserved it through oral transmission.

The great-granddaughter of Siti binti Saad, Siti Muharam, performed her own rendition of Kijiti on her debut album, Siti of Unguja, demonstrating the tenor of her extraordinary voice with her own interpretation of this tragic song.