MLUTSO is short for Mtema Lugodi Traditional Sounds. We met MLUTSO on a small stage in the back of a local pub in the town of Bagamoyo north of Dar es Salaam. Most of the members are attached to the Bagamoyo College of Arts.

MLUTSO is primarily what is called a ngoma group in Tanzania, i.e. a group that performs staged versions of traditional music and dance. Ngoma is a word which exits in many bantu languages and denotes the whole conglomerate "music - dance -drama - mask" as well as "drum". Traditionally there is no word that means only "music". That tells ut something about the traditional conceptualization of music.

The leader of MLUTSO is veteran Hamis W. Digallu who plays the wazaramo xylophone. Rappers are Mary Chibwana and Elangwa Mtahiko. The other members are: Halfan Matitu, Werema M. Chache, Haji Maedz, Riziki Digallu, Osmani Digallu, Diana Katindas, Rose Bellenge, Jonas Nyamshaw and Maria Jochua.

As youngsters do in the villages of Tanzania MLUTSO uses traditional instruments also when performing rap. Thus they take rap back to an original African context. You can really ask if this is rap or traditional African music. Anyhow, here rap has returned to its roots.

Listen to a sample: Mary Chibwana is rapping with MLUTSO (.wav format 670 kB).