Ahmed Taib
Ahmed Taib, originally from Uganda, moved to Yugoslavia in 1961 to study at the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo. Very little information about his life and career is currently available, but it is known that during these years he was also active as a vocalist. He gave concerts, appeared in radio broadcasts and recorded internationally.
Between 1964 and 1967/68, he released a single in West Germany, an EP in Yugoslavia with state record company Jugoton, and a final single in Austria. His recordings reveal a notable variety of styles, languages, and vocal approaches. This versatility is further reflected in a small number of unreleased recordings preserved in the radio archives, which together suggest the artistic flexibility of Taib.
Records
Single: Wasifa / Wenn du auch einsam bist (1964)
EP: Mchezo mpiya / Mchezo ya uhuru / Wasifa / Kisafiri (1965)
Single: Sugar-Baby-Train / It's a Long Way to Your Heart (1968)
Recordings
The archives of Radio and Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina and of Radio Beograd preserve some recordings by Ahmed Taib: some of the pieces appeared on record, while others are unreleased recordings that circulated on the radio.
Archive Radio Sarajevo (now Radio Bosna i Hercegovina)
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“Wasifa” with the ensemble Kornelije Kovać (1964)
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“Kasifiri” with the ensemble Kornelije Kovać (1964)
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“Tiket tvist” with the Sarajevski Dixieland ansambl (1966)
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“Izgubljeni cvijet” with Plesni orkestar RTV Sarajevo (1967)
Archive Radio Beograd:
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“Wasifa” with the ensemble Kornelije Kovać
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“Kasifiri” with the ensemble Kornelije Kovać
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“Mchezo mpiya” with the ensemble Kornelije Kovać
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“Mchezo ya uhuru” with the ensemble Kornelije Kovać
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“Hamblin Rose” with the Zabavni okestar RTB
Written Sources and References
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blog entry: Predrag Debevec. 2010. "Veliki prasak. Strangers in the night". Pego's Stories, 22.01.2010. https://predragdebevec.wordpress.com/2010/01/22/
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Cimardi, Linda. 2024. “Black Popular Musics in Yugoslavia”. In The Routledge Handbook of Popular Music and Politics of the Balkans, edited by Catherine Baker. London: Routledge, 451-461.
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Cimardi, Linda. 2026. “Engaging for Africa. Popular Songs by African Students in Yugoslavia”. Narodna Umjetnost 63 (1), 209-231. https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/502328