Sauti za Busara works to increase local attendance in next week’s festival. Busara managing director, Rebecca Corey says that the percentage of Zanzibari and Tanzanian citizens has gone down since the beginning of the festival, but explains that it is due to more international visitors, not less local attendance. Corey worries that this gives the mistaken impression that Busara is for foreigners.
“Sauti za Busara is not just an event for tourists. Yes, the festival is meant to give local Zanzibari and East African artists a platform to share their music with the world and get some much-deserved international attention. The foreign visitors who come to the festival buy CDs of local musicians and take back to their home countries lots of enthusiasm and excitement about the acts they have seen. But the festival is also about bringing top live African acts to the stage for local people to enjoy. This year, we include lots of local favorites such as This year, we include lots of local favorites such as DDC Mlimani Park Orchestra aka Sikinde, Super Maya Baikoko, Culture Music Club, Lumumba Theatre, Msafiri Zawose, Peter Msechu and Safi Theatre Group, as well as international superstars of African music that many Tanzanians may never have heard of, like Cheikh Lo from Senegal and Khaira Arby from Mali,&rd quo; said Corey.
Msafiri Zawose is the son of musical legend Hukwe Zawose and his music carries on the cultural traditions of his father and Gogo music. Culture Musical Club is Zanzibar’s most successful taarab orchestra, touring Zanzibar and Europe since they were founded in 1958. Safi Theatre Group from Dar es Salaam uses acrobatics to spice up dancing and traditional music. Festival Director Yusuf Mahmoud believes that Sauti za Busara is an opportunity for artists and young people. “Sauti za Busara invigorate s young people’s interest in local culture, gives opportunities for artists and music professionals to meet and learn from each other, keeps local traditions alive and creates employment for local people. The festival provides a catalyst for taking local music in new directions, as regional artists are exposed to and inspired by sounds from other parts of the continent,” said Mahmoud.
Busara works to attract local attendance by keeping ticket prices low for Tanzanian citizens, 3000 TSH per day. Busara also gives away free tickets to listeners through local radio shows and through their ‘gari bomba’ road show that travels around Zanzibar on Valentine’s Day this year, 14 February 2013. Nearly half of the performers are from Tanzania and Zanzibar. “The festival organizers love to see lots of Zanzibaris and Tanzanians at the festival, dancing side by side with visitors from the rest of East Africa, Europe, and America. This year we have even gotten messages on our Facebook from fans coming all the way from Australia just to enjoy the festival! We try to keep ticket prices affordable for locals—only 3,000 TSH—to make sure we have a very diverse crowd. I think it’s fair to say that Sauti za Busara truly brings people from all walks of life together,” said Corey.
To see a full list of performers and find out more about Sauti za Busara, visit www.busaramusic.org.
Tickets can be purchased starting on 13/02/2013 at 10:00 am at the Old Fort in Stone Town.