Sauti za Busara Festival of Zanzibar

SAUTI ZA BUSARA

ZANZIBAR

   Sauti za Busara means Sounds of Wisdom and is certainly growing into a music festival worthy of such a name. Held annually in Stone Town on the romantic island of Zanzibar, Sauti za Busara or Zanzibar Music Festival is a showcase for the best and most exciting of African music. The 2011 festival starts on the 9th of February. Originally focused on East African and Swahili music, the Zanzibar Music Festival now includes a range of international artists and musicians from West Africa, East Africa, Europe and more, brought together for a six-day extravaganza of world music and culture in a remarkably beautiful setting. Every February each year, Zanzibar hosted Sauti za Busara, East Africa’s largest music festival showcasing talent from around Africa but with a particular emphasis on East African artists.

festival during the day

Around festival time, the island is buzzing with a range of fringe events: traditional ngoma drum and dance, fashion shows, dhow races, open-mic sessions, after-parties and performances of Zanzibar’s oldest Taarab orchestras are arranged by the local community. It recommended that adding a week or more to your trip will be better for unwinding at the beach, exploring cultural tours and safaris

Audience in sauti za busara

  It is easy to see why tourists and international visitors flock to the festival in such great numbers. Pitched as the “friendliest festival in the world”, the relaxed vibe ensures that Sauti za Busara lives up to this reputation. Large numbers of children and families at the afternoon and evening events contribute to the welcoming feel. The festival is entirely live, featuring talented and energetic performers. And an exciting range of music is performed, from traditional Zanzibar Taarab to spirit dancers to urban hip-hop.

International visitors enjoying the festival


However, Sauti za Busara is not merely a tourist festival or an internationally-focused event. It also aims to engender respect for local music among the local population. Currently, very few Tanzanian radio stations play African music, focusing instead on American and international artists. The festival directors hope that by showcasing African music on an international platform, local people will understand that they have something “very special, very unique and very valuable

Bi. Kidude from Zanzibar

“Festivals invigorate young people’s interest in local culture, give opportunities for artists and music professionals to meet and learn from each other, keep traditions alive, create employment for local people and promote Zanzibar as a model for responsible tourism - that honors and respects local culture.”

Youth in Festival


Sauti za Busara is based within the Old Fort in Stone Town. The Old Fort was built around 1700 by the Omani Arabs, on the site of an old Portuguese church. It was used for years as a base from which to defend Stone Town from the invading Europeans, and eventually during the 19th century was used as a prison and place of execution! For a few years in the early 20th century the Old Fort was used as a depot for the railway, before its importance as a historical site was recognised and it was cleared out and given the recognition it deserves.

Zanzibar


Today the Old Fort is used as a cultural centre, hosting many Tanzanian drumming or dancing classes, films, music and dance events and much more. The crumbling stone battlements and crenellated towers provide incredibly atmospheric surroundings in which to hold a music festival. The lighting illuminates the ancient walls, and the sounds of African beats reverberate within the historical arena. Sauti za Busara could not have chosen a more perfect location in which to base the Zanzibar Music Festival.

Tumi & The Volume from South Africa perfoming


Sauti za Busara relies on keeping an appropriate balance between local and international visitors. One of the reasons that international visitors like the festival so much is that it isn’t just an event for tourists, but provides “African music under African skies”, as well as an at least partly African audience. Alongside showcasing a wealth of East African music and trying to engender respect for that music, the importance of local audiences is crucial to the festival's aims.

Audience


The next few editions of the festival will almost certainly be friendly and fun as per usual, and the quality and energy of music is sure to attract ever-greater crowds. However, Sauti za Busara risks becoming a victim of its own well-deserved success. Festival organizers will face many challenges as they work to keep the vital local element from being overwhelmed by ever increasing numbers of international visitors

Ndere Ugandan Dancers

Nneka from Nigeria

Ogoya Nengo from Kenya

ENJOYABLE SCENES

-African Music, under African Skies: live performances (no playback).

Tandaa Traditional Group from Zanzibar

-Carnival Street Parade: the biggest parade to hit Stone Town, including beni brass band, ngoma drummers, mwanandege umbrella women, stilt-walkers, capoeira dancers, acrobats and surprises

Cultural perfomances after parade

-Festival marketplace: local food and drinks, music, jewellery, clothing and handicrafts.

-African Films: documentaries, music clips, videos and live concert footage. African film makers entering their works to the festival, vying for honors.

 Urban Hip Hop perfomance

-Seminars and Training Workshops: Building skills for artists, managers, music journalists, filmmakers, sound and lighting technicians from the East Africa region.

-Movers & Shakers: Daily networking forum for local and visiting arts professionals

ENJOY THE AFRICAN RHYTHM IN THE SPICE ISLAND