Sauti za Busara Music Festival 2011

The eighth Sauti za Busara (Sounds of Wisdom) Music Festival takes place in Zanzibar, Tanzania from Wednesday 9th to Sunday 13th February 2011. There is a continuous daily programme of music starting in the late afternoon, as the sunshine softens and shadows start to stretch out, and continuing virtually non-stop into the evening, with the final band taking to the stage around midnight.

Line-up

The provisional line-up is Orchestre Poly Rythmo de Cotonou (Benin), Blick Bassy (Cameroon), Cheikh Lô (Senegal), Otentikk Street Brothers (Mauritius), Kassé Mady Diabaté (Mali), Kwani Experience (South Africa), Mlimani Park Orchestra (Tanzania), Culture Musical Club (Zanzibar), Mohamed Ilyas & Nyota Zameremeta (Zanzibar), Maulidi ya Homu ya Mtendeni (Zanzibar), Sukiafrica Sukiyaki Allstars (Various), Yaaba Funk (UK), Sousou & Maher Cissoko (Senegal / Sweden), Sinachuki Kidumbak (Zanzibar), Swahili Encounters Group (Various), Les Frères Sissoko (Senegal), GEATA (Ethiopia), Djeli Moussa Diawara (Guinea), Groove Lélé (Reunion), NEWS Quartet (Various), Vusa Mkhaya & Band (Various), Nomakanjani Arts (Zambia), Maureen Lupo Lilanda (Zambia), Les Go de Kotéba (Cote d'Ivoire), Djaaka (Mozambique), Muthoni The Drummer Queen (Kenya), Lelelele Africa (Kenya), Bismillahi Gargar (Kenya), Atemi & the Ma3 Band (Kenya), Black Roots (Zanzibar), Sauda (Tanzania), Tunaweza Band (Tanzania), Wanyambukwa Artist Group (Tanzania), Tom Diakité (Mali), and more.

From Wednesday through until Sunday, around eight groups perform each day. Big names rub shoulders with upcoming artists. There are thirty of the best groups of Zanzibar, Tanzania and East Africa, with another ten groups in 2011 representing Ethiopia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, La Réunion, Madagascar, Mauritius, Ghana, Mali and Senegal. Most concerts are in historic Stone Town supplemented with fringe events around town and across the island including a festival street parade.

Tickets

Admission is FREE to local people until 6pm, then around €1 (one euro). Prices vary for citizens, residents, and visitors. A 5 day pass is US$52 (around £33), and a VIP 4 day pass is priced at US$100 (around £65). There is NO allocated seating. International visitors tend to buy five-day passes and wander in and out as they choose. These are available from the Old Fort daily from Tuesday 8th February 2011.

Carnival Street Parade

Sauti za Busara 2011 will feature the island's largest Carnival Street Parade: setting alight the streets on Opening Day, including beni brass band, ngoma drummers, mwanandege umbrella women, stilt-walkers, capoeira, acrobats and surprises. Aside from the main stage programme, featuring forty music groups from all around Africa, there will be the African Music Film programme with documentaries, music videos, clips and live concert footage along with the festival marketplace: local food and drinks, music, jewellery, clothing and handicrafts.

Swahili Encounters

There will also be Swahili Encounters 4-days of artistic collaborations, for invited local and visiting musicians and seminars and training workshops, building skills for artists, managers, music journalists, sound and lighting technicians and filmmakers from the East Africa region. Movers & Shakers provides a daily networking forum for local and visiting arts professional

Accommodation

The festival does not have a campsite, and there is a good range of accommodation options in and around Stone Town.

Flights

Zanzibar has international scheduled flights, or there are international flights to Dar es Salaam. Zanzibar has international scheduled flights served by Ethiopian Airlines, and Kenya Airways. Also regional flights served by Fly540, Precision Air, Air Uganda, and 1time (South Africa). Alternatively, Dar es Salaam is served by British Airways, KLM, Swiss Air, South African Airways and Emirates. There are then internal flights or ferries from Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar.

Ferries

Zanzibar is served by a number of ferry companies to/from Dar es Salaam. There are several fast (2hr) hydrofoil crossings daily plus several slower (4hr) vessels. Non Residents should expect to pay up to US$50 incl port tax one-way.

Visas

The requirements and rules regarding visas vary according to your nationality and country of residence. Please check well in advance.

More information will be here when available.

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