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As Old As My Tongue - The Myth and Life of Bi Kidude

As Old As My Tongue - The Myth and Life of Bi Kidude

(As Old As My Tongue - The Myth and Life of Bi Kidude), Andy Jones / VB-TAN, 2006
original version / English & Czech subtitles, 52 min

Bi Kidude is a true living legend on her home island of Zanzibar, and has recently become a powerful presence on the European world music circuit - after embarking on her first international tour while in her nineties. An entrancing singer beloved of sultans and sailors alike, her story challenges perceptions of age in society and of the role of women in Islam. As Old As My Tongue was filmed over the last three years in Zanzibar, and on a worldwide tour with Bi Kidude during the last year. More than a biographical documentary of an inspiring figure, the film also offers deep insights into the history, politics and personalities of the spice island of Zanzibar, a society built on an exotic and combustible mixture of Arabic and East African elements.