Sanga, Julius Loth
Thesis topic: " The Influence of Muziki wa Dansi on Other Music Genres in Tanzania: A Comparative Analysis of Taarab, Bongo Flava, Gospel Music, and Traditional Music Genres."
Contact details at the University of Würzburg:
Institute of Music Research
Domerschulstraße 13
97070 Würzburg
Email Mr Sanga
Primary supervisor: Prof. Dr Juniper Hill
Second supervisor:
Dr Toyin Samuel Ajose (University of Ibadan, Nigeria)
Class in the Graduate School: “Philosophy, Languages, Arts”
PhD programme at the Graduate School from the 2026/27 winter semester.
Abstract:
My study aims to examine the cross-genre influence of musical styles in Tanzania, focusing on the impact of muziki wa dansi ( dance music) on other genres, including taarab, bongo flava, muziki wa injili (Tanzanian gospel music), and traditional music genres, theorising this influence as a process of musical rebirth. Drawing on the complementary frameworks of diffusionism, semiotics and musical revival theory, the study will develop a new analytical model for understanding genre transformation and cultural change within the Tanzanian musical context. Diffusionism will provide a lens for tracing the pathways through which musical elements travel between genres and communities; semiotics will offer tools for interpreting the symbolic and cultural meanings embedded in these musical exchanges; and musical revival theory will shed light on how elements of muziki wa dansi are recontextualised, giving rise to renewed forms of cultural expression. Through a comparative analysis of these genres, the study aims to examine how musical hybridisation functions as a mechanism for both continuity and innovation. In doing so, the study will contribute to broader debates on the sustainability of music, offering fresh insight into how established genres are reshaped, reinterpreted and revitalised through their interaction with emerging musical forms. Ultimately, this study will position muziki wa dansi not merely as a historical genre but as a generative force within Tanzania’s evolving musical ecosystem, with implications for understanding genre change, cultural resilience and the preservation of musical heritage more broadly.
