SOCIETY & LIFESTYLE

WINDS UP WITH A BANG

3000 gather to celebrate music unlocked

Hundreds of music lovers of various ages and nationalities line up at the venue entrance eager to experience African live music at its best. For the first time, the festival organisers were faced with last-minute cancellations from many foreign artists, including Yugen Blakrok (South Africa), Milton Gulli (Mozambique), Dawda Jobarteh (the Gambia), Dogo Fara (Reunion) and Sika Kokoo (Ghana). While some of these acts were unable to travel due to COVID-19 restrictions on international travel, others could not secure travel grants.

Some highlights were Vitali Maembe, Msafiri Zawose , TaraJazz and Stone Town Rockers. These artists are recognised as the leading figures across various genres in the country. Maembe was exhilarated to be in the lineup, considering that he had been applying to play at Sauti za Busara for more than a decade but never made it through. “I also applied last year, but

The 18th edition of ast Africa s favourite festival Sauti a usara came to a hilarious climax on Saturday night a er two days of performances that brought life to the ld Fort and the Stone Town neighborhood. t brought together artists from South Africa, Algeria, ganda and Tan ania for a wee end of eclectic performances under the theme, Alive & ic in.

my application was rejected,” he said. “It was a huge relief when I received a last-minute call to play at the festival. There was no way I was going to turn it down. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

There were brilliant performances from emerging artists such as Tofa Boy, Siti Muharam and Richie Lumambo,

Festival director usuf ahmoud said there had been times of uncertainty. There were many times over the past year when I feared whether it would be possible for the 1 edition to go ahead, he said. We chose the theme Alive & ic in in solidarity with Tan anians, to o er hope and solutions, showing that even in the context of a global pandemic we have to adapt and nd new ways to survive and stay alive. t was a heavy responsibility and am than ful to the many Tan anians and partners who stood with us 100% all the way"

THIS EDITION PROGRAMMED A REDUCED NUMBER OF PERFORMANCES FROM 40 TO 14 ACTS SPREAD OVER TWO DAYS INSTEAD OF THE USUAL FOUR. A LARGE PORTION OF THE LINE-UP CONSISTED OF TANZANIAN MUSICIANS.”

who, despite being in their early music careers, gave a rousing performance. Singer Dulla Makabila was the closing act. His performance was like a shot of adrenaline. He left the audience on a genuinely explosive high proving that singeli music is a crowd favourite.

For musicians like Sandra Nankoma (Uganda) and Djam (Algeria), it was their first time on a big stage almost a year since the COVID-19 outbreak.

The more than 3 000 foreigners in attendance applauded the organisers’ efforts in maintaining the ministry’s guidelines, emphasising that the event brought renewed hope for artists and businesses.

Over the years, the festival has been accustomed to hosting fringe activities alongside the main event, such as the Movers and Shakers networking session, a carnival parade, and Swahili Encounters – a collaborative project between local and foreign artists. These events were cancelled due to a shortage of funding, as most partners could not offer support after a year of little or no business activities.

When the festivalgoers were leaving the Old Fort, they were already looking forward to the next edition, set to take place over Valentine’s Day weekend next year.

All Picture Courtesy of Sauti Za Busara