Sauti Za Busara Swahili Music & Cultural Festival

Festival Update

The main venue for this year’s festival is again in historic Stone Town: the grassy side of Zanzibar’s Old Fort (“Mambo Club”) facing Forodhani Gardens and overlooking the Indian Ocean. Fittingly described by Ian Anderson in fROOTS magazine as “the big club venue most world music festival organisers would die for”. Freshly grilled prawns, octopus, squid, fish kebabs are all prepared on site, with a bar and stalls selling local crafts.

The main aim of the festival is to showcase the wealth and diversity of Swahili music and we are proud to announce that many of East Africa’s finest groups are confirmed to participate:

FROM EAST AFRICA

DANCE / GUITAR BANDS: Kilimanjaro Band (“Wananjenje”), Zanzibar Moonlight Jazz Band

MUSIC FUSION: Saida Karoli, Manyani Nani, Sisi Tambala

HIPHOP AND URBAN MUSIC: Juma Nature & Wanaume, Wazenji Kijiwe, Klear Kut, Stara Thomas, Solo Thang, BTB, DJ Saleh

TAARAB & KIDUMBAK: Nadi Ikhwan Safaa (Malindi Taarab), Culture Musical Club, Segere Original, Sosoliso Kidumbak, Zein l’Abdin Trio, DCMA Student Group

NGOMA & TRADITIONAL MUSIC: Bi Kidude, Chibite Group, Beni ya Kilua, Black Roots, Jagwa Music (Mchiriku), Hiyari ya Moyowo (Kirumbizi), Imani Ngoma, Matimba Arts, Ngoma ya Kibati, Kidutani & Jang’ombe Nursery Schools

RELIGIOUS SUFI MUSIC: Maulidi ya Homu ya Mtendeni

THEATRE, COMEDY, ACROBATICS: Jambo Brothers, Halikuniki Comedy Group

FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD:

El Tanbura Group (Egypt), Seiyun Popular Arts (Yemen), Imena (Rwanda), Ndeef Leng (Senegal), Pamuzinda (Zimbabwe)

Guest of Honour for 2005 Festival is Bi Kidude, Zanzibar’s 93-year old cultural ambassador, traditional healer and bare-foot diva of taarab and unyago ngoma, who has been traveling the world to sing, drum and entertain since the 1920s.

On Stone Town Zanzibar: “The pace of life is gentle, time itself seems flexible, and a combination of the surroundings and a very low level of trading hassle from genuinely friendly locals turn it into the most relaxing, stress-reducing place I've ever encountered. Turn off your mobile phone: this town should be available on the National Health”.
Ian Anderson, fROOTS Magazine

Welcome to Zanzibar for the friendliest music festival on Planet Earth!
Stone Town, Zanzibar, 10-13 February, 2005

Links:

Introduction to Sauti za Busara

Download detailed information (19 pages)

Download festival timetable

For more information contact:


Busara Promotions
PO Box 3635, Zanzibar, Tanzania.
Tel:      (+255) 24 223 2423 or (0)747 428478
Fax:     +44 870 1321190
Email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it