For over twenty years, the Muungano Cultural Troupe was one of the most important cultural institutions in Dar es Salaam. Their variety shows in fenced, open-air bars, reached up to two thousand people every week and they also toured twelve countries. The group has never received any meaningful sponsorship either from the Tanzanian authorities or from foreign donors. The company, numbering close to 60 at its height in 1995, has survived on the contributions that ordinary people are willing to pay to see their performances. What do people find so attractive about these variety shows? And why has the group slowly lost its audience base? In the pages that follow, I look at the history of the company; its organisation, its relationship to the ruling party, and the way in which it, together with its audiences, create theatre performances in which family relations, gender, and the institutions of the state are constantly discussed and negotiated.

Early history of the company – modelled on the national troupe

The Muungano Cultural Troupe was established in August 1980 by Norbert Chenga who still owns and manages the group. A teacher by background, Chenga grew up in Lindi in southern Tanzania, an area that is among the poorest and least ‘developed’ regions in the country. However, it is well known for its ngoma – musical events including dance and mime.