Jana Si Leo

Jana Si Leo (= Yesterday is not Today)

Ngoma or Dumbaki is the name for the traditional drum music band playing in East Africa and Zanzibar. Sometimes there can be as many as 10 people playing different instruments on stage. We met the most hired band in Jambiani, Jana Si Leo. We became good friends with the band leader, Haji. Haji organizes the concerts and also plays the violin. Haji is very determined and disciplined; he has a firm grasp on the band. When the band plays, they play nonstop without breaks, the music just continues on and on. If a band member is not playing to his standard he simply takes the instrument away from him. The concerts also involve an erotic dance/play between a man and woman. One of the concerts we recorded with them was a mix session between the band and turntable DJ Kweli. We were enjoying the show which included rare mixes of Depeche Mode, Eric Prydz and mainstream techno beats blended together with the African drum band. Haji's hopes for the future is to arrange bigger concerts in Stone Town and buy better instruments for his band.