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Festival Report |
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A Whiff of Cloves and Music |
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MELANIE SHARPE sampled Zanzibar’s Sauti za Busara music festival
On a scorching hot Zanzibar afternoon, drummers and trumpet players flood into Stone Town’s Forodhani Gardens. There are acrobats flipping upside down, a man on stilts wearing an alien mask and a woman in colourful kangas dancing to the music. The seaside gardens are suddenly full of people moving to the rhythm and enjoying the acts. Minutes later, the Amani drummers begin to
play. The well-known drumming troupe was formed 12 years ago by
a group of Burundi refugees living in a North-western Tanzanian
camp.
They tell stories through their music and chant loudly. Their performance
is full of energy and by the end, their bodies are drenched in
sweat from the hot sun.
The drummers march out of the gardens playing their massive instruments
on their heads to a huge applause.
Started by Yusuf Mahmoud and his Zanzibar-based
non-profit Busara Promotions,
Sauti za Busara has grown every year since its inception
in 2004.
Originally only a three-day event, this year the festivities lasted
almost a week and staff at Busara has doubled from two to four
people over the last year.
Of course, the Zanzibar festival is smaller than some of the other
big name music events across the continent. It only had one stage,
and four days of live music.
But the size of the festival is one of its best features, creating
a very intimate vibe on the beautiful island.
Musicians and organisers are easy to access as a spectator. Bumping
into performers on the narrow streets of Stone Town or in one of
its popular cafés is common.
And combined with the high quality line-up of performers and professionally
planned events, everyone at the 2007 festival seemed to be having
an amazing time.
The organiser’s made sure all the events were accessible
to both tourists and locals with fair admission rates and free
entry before sunset everyday. But more than just a music festival, Sauti Za Busara 2007 was also a showcase of Swahili culture. The main stage was located inside Zanzibar’s 16th century fort, a good-sized venue that had a loud sound system and great atmosphere. There were dhow races one afternoon from Serena beach, craft sales, fashion shows and music breaks for Muslim prayer time everyday. The festival also put a lot emphasis on local talent. About half of the acts were either from mainland Tanzania or Zanzibar itself. This year’s festival also honoured the island’s Queen of Taraab, Bi Kidude. An hour-long documentary on the 90-something-year-old living legend premiered in the Old Fort on the festival’s first night. The film drew a standing-room only crowd, with 2,500 people gathering in the incredible outdoor cinema. It was an emotional moment when Kidude and the new documentary received a standing ovation from her hometown crowd.
Of course there were also some really great
performances.
The duo of Ellika & Solo, her a Swedish fiddler and him a kora
player from Senegal played twice during the festival and became
a fan favourite.
Didier Awadi and PHAT 4 from Senegal got the entire crowd on their
feet with their politically charged hip-hop beats, while Jose Chameleone
put on a high-energy show, bouncing all over the stage in a gold
crown and Bob Marley T-shirt.
There were also some beautiful Zanzibari Taraab performances all
over town. Publication Date: 2 March 2007 |
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