Abel Selaocoe plays Zawose (for Hukwe Zawose)

Abel Selaocoe pays tribute to one of Tanzania’s legendary traditional musicians, Hukwe Zawose, in a song inspired by the country’s vibrant musical traditions and rhythms. Discover this and more on his debut album, Where Is Home (Hae Ke Kae): “This song is named for one of Tanzania’s legendary traditional musicians, Hukwe Zawose. I discovered him while searching for these connections and came across a beautiful song of his called Mateso. Its title, which means ’suffering’, is a reference to the tribulation of South Africans in the time of apartheid, and I wanted to respond to this song with one of my own, to say ’thank you for the love, for the kindness and for the empathy’. Tanzanian music features a high-pitched stick zither, an instrument with a single beaten string, called the zeze, and I decided I’d try and translate its musical language and its rhythmic groove to the cello.“ – Abel Selaocoe Video: Gallivant Films Sound Producer: Fred T