The 19th edition of one of Africa’s finest music festival, Sauti za Busara, reached its peak at the weekend with a taste of Singeli, Tanzania’s music melody and a message of hope from the government for the continuity of the extravaganza.
The three-day music festival took place at magical Old Fort in Stone Town, in Zanzibar, from February 11 to February 13 midnight, giving music enthusiasts a taste of African live music and vibe, with thousands of partygoers in attendance.
Sauti za Busara Music Festival kicked off on Friday night with an array of performances from artistes from various parts of the continent – Uganda, South Africa, Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Tanzania.
Revellers queued from as early as 2pm on Friday to purchase their tickets that were being sold at Tsh16,000 ($7) for residents, Tsh120,000 ($52) for other African citizens, while Tsh240,000 ($104) for international visitors.
The VIP grandstand three-day pass was sold at Tsh360,000 ($156).
Sauti za Busara kicked off with Upendo Manase, an afro-fusion artiste from Zanzibar, followed by South Africa’s Nomufosi, then Ben Pol, with Zan Ubuntu closing the night.
For each day, partygoers enjoyed performances from eight artistes per night—from a taste of Zanzibar’s classic Taarab group Nadi Ikwan Safaa, Zimbabwe’s Evans MPfumela Mapfumo, South Africa’s Msaki and Sjava, and Congo Brazaville’s Fanie Fayar took the fans through an extraordinary music tour.
Susan Kerunen from Uganda, Bahati Female Band (Tanzania), Fanie Fayar (Congo), Zambia’s Sampa the great and Sholo Mwamba left revellers yearning for more.
“This is the best festival in all of East Africa, I have been here for five years in a row and I will never miss it for anything. The live music, the rhythms, the food, the beach, everything was fantastic,” commented Kenyan Wambui Kinyua.
Just as the fans were entertained, the artistes too appreciated the attendance.