Mbabi Katana

African Music for Schools

Mbabi Katana

This songbook for children brings together East African songs from vast and diverse folk heritages. It includes children's play, dance and story songs, and some patriotic and party songs, from the ethnic or language groups of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, as well as some songs from related ethnic groups in regions of Burundi, the DRC, Malawi and Rwanda. The songs bear witness to centuries of African life; and their transcription aims to make music accessible to children from their own cultural traditions. The songbook incorporates the musical scores and song texts, translations of the African texts, notes on the structure of the music, and suggestions of story-telling, poetry, drama, art or dance which teachers or other adults may introduce to bring the songs alive and use them creatively, and to allow children to participate fully in their performance.