Twarab : a comorian music between two worlds
Abstract
This paper explores the different trajectories of Comorian twarab, the divergent histories on the four islands, and in different centers, in relation to different modes of cultural exchange and communication (migration, trade, media like phonograph records, radio, satellite communication), and relevant political and economic structures. The focus is on modes of transmission and processes of cultural syncretization, also on the way that discourses about culture (a style and its history) shape the perception and future trajectories of styles.