Tanzanian singer Fatma binti Baraka, known as Bi Kidude, has died at her home on the island of Zanzibar.
Thought to be more than 100 years old, she was a legendary performer of Taarab, a style of Swahili Arab-influenced music.
Bi Kidude was the subject of a documentary, As Old As My Tongue, a few years ago which reported that she began breaking rules at an early age, running away from a Koranic school at the age of 10.
"What was special about Bi Kidude was she lived the life that she wanted to live," DJ Rita Ray, who worked on the documentary, told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.
"She followed her own spirit. She ran away from two husbands, she was childless, she drank, she smoked, she really broke their rules but at the same time she embodied all the great cultural aspects of that island."
The singer was also generous with her time, teaching upcoming musicians, and with her money.
"She'd go away touring around the world - come back with thousands and within days Bi Kidude was penniless because she was looking after everyone whether they were relatives or people coming with hard luck stories," Ms Ray said.
SOURCE: BBC NEWS
I ENVY HER, SHE DID WHAT SHE WANTED, WHAT MADE HER HAPPY!!
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