I have taken the first photo at this year's Sauti za Busara in Stone Town, Zanzibar. a
The second is from Mafia Dance Festival announcing dates for a coming festival in August.
Seems like the wazungu go to Mafia, and that people wear clothes on Sauti za Busara.
Kweli...(?)!
So much more reason to go to Sauti za Busara 11-16 February 2010.
Now is the week of the Danish Roskilde Festival, held every year in the first month of July. I don't do Roskilde anymore - it seems - but I'll use the opportunity to pass on a message from East Africa's friendliest music festival, Sauti za Busara:
After six successful festivals in Zanzibar, Busara Promotions urgently needs to acquire its own quality sound, lighting and stage equipment. If you have contacts for organisations that may be able to supply us with new/used equipment either by donation or at a reasonable price, do let us know. A full list of requirements can be supplied on request.
Such technical equipment is in extremely short supply in Tanzania and is a resource that can be used throughout the year to generate employment and enhance the social and cultural lives of the region, as well as to build financial sustainability for the festival.
Read more here. Busara also calls for artists and sponsors.
And finally, do read my previous blog posts from Sauti za Busara 2008 and 2009 here.
Have a look at the photos from Sauti za Busara 2009 here, which I have finally got together in a set.
Do also check the Baobabconnection's sum up here, and the UNAA Times here, who picked up on the Omega Bugembe Okello performance.
Meanwhile, I will try to finish an article for this new Danish magazine about the Sauti za Busara.
I am composing an article for a Danish world culture magazine about the Sauti za Busara.
Some of the music experiences fortunately fade straight away (like this one), but some stay and repeat themselves on my CD player. Like Comrade Fatso and Chabvondoka.
I think that was true love at first listening.
This one is a favorite:
...But to live a day without your touch
Well that’s asking too much
‘Cause I
need you like a riot needs a petrol bomb
I love you like a freedom fighter
loves freedom
I need you like a bottle store needs to break laws
Like
capitalism needs wars
I need you like struggle needs Nehanda
Like mbira
loves ngoma
Like art loves inspiration
Like destruction craves
creation
I need your power, your lips
Your philosophies your hips
Your
strength, your beauty
Your love, your poetry
Your fire, your
desire
Your body, your energy
Samm Farai Monro, better known as Comrade Fatso, is one of the most popular and controversial poets in the Zimbabwe arts scene. Cde Fatso calls his poetry Toyi Toyi Poetry, radical street poetry that mixes Shona with English and mbira with hip hop. Its an art form that is an uprising against the bloody ZANU (PF) regime.
Just one note on yesterday's Sauti za Busara (and then I will go to bed and try to figure out why I thought I could stomach the mishkaki from the food stall) - Comrade Fatso and Chabvondoka from Zimbabwe were fantastic, and something which I believe hit me straight.
When Comrade Fatso swung his dreadlocks, jumped around the stage and then suddenly grabbed the microphone holder, offering his political viewpoints on Zimbabwe, the ordience inhaled collectively, not expecting this urban, rebellious and political performance.
The performers even picked up on the typical Precision Air characteristics (they were redirected over Kenya) and the 'Jambo Bwana' CD which the hustlers try to impose on tourists on Kenyatta Road.
Even better: I got the CD!
What the Sauti za Busara festival bar shelves might lack in diversity, the mix of people, performers. colours and flavours compensate. It almost sounds like such a cliche to be repeating the fact, that this is the core of Zanzibar. However, this variety, which is so unique to Zanzibar, is strongly reflected within the Sauti za Busara, the people and the performers.
In fact, this is one of the most interesting parts of this festival; People watching.
A huge sea cruise ship has plunged its anchor in the Stone Town bay, shining bright at night from what seems like a thousand tiny windows. From here groups of elderly wazungu, sensibly dressed with sunhats, some with supporting sticks, enter the festival from smaller boats taking them from the ship to the shore. Yesterday, an elderly couple walked up to me and a friend, asking about the state of Forodhani Gardens (wonder if anyone knows the answer to this), assuming we were 'some of these young students studying at the university.'
And there are many of them at the Sauti za Busara. And in the eyes of someone twice my age, we might at first sight appear to belong to this category of the young, western European volunteers or tourists, who are not only 10-15 years younger than us, but also people who seem to spend most days on the beach, and typically dress too minimalistacally in terms of cultural sensitivity.
An issue which seems completely irrelevant to this category, in spite the largest parts of the ordience are people from Stone Town, who dress more conservatively and according to Islamic and Swahili tradition.
It is quite interesting to see how this mix, nevertheless, is lived out in a confined space like the Old Fort.
Maybe it works because there also exists an interesting balance between the performers who range from i.e. Omega, a Uganda/American singing in Luganda and English (photo above); Sansa, a Ugandan ngoma (traditional folk music) troup, Tarbia - a local Zanzibar group, based in a madras a (an Islamic school) and who performs on a spiritual and religious base - to last night's politically engaged and loud, British performer, TY (photo below), who gave a whole other impression of hip hop, than I'd expected from reading about him in the programme.
Hip hop with soul and heart.
I stood next to a somewhat 9-year old girl, shouting out loud; 'Love you, TY!' In spite, the man was awesome, I left the confessions to the 9-year old. Man, this power, dressed up in a Zanzibar print one-size-fits-all shirt, did also reach me!
Sansa - the traditional folk music band from Uganda - I'd usually say that I have had my share of ngoma - but when a guy last night walked up to me in a mixture of joy and pride presenting himself with a big smile and a; 'Hi, I am Charles from Uganda. Did you see me perform?', I truly did regret that I hadn't.
These meetings and conversations are, so to speak, the stuff Sauti za Busara is made of - and what makes this so different to a music festival in Europe.
Today I walked through the Old Fort after lunch and watched the performers do sound tests.
This is the best time to get photos of performers - they pay attention, the sky is blue and the light is sufficient.
It is burning hot at this time of day, and visitors and artists withdraw to the right corner below where there seems to be a bit of shade. The photo is taken with my mobile phone's panorama function, and might give an impression of the festival settings. In evenings the place is crowded.
When I left the Old Fort a song by the Zimbabwean Comrade Fatso, performing on Sunday at 9.15, blasted through the space: House of Hunger. I can't wait to watch this guy!
Check today's photos here - sound tests with Carola Kinasha & Shada, and Joh Makini. I have just learnt that Carola is from Longido, a place I visited back in October 2008 - see photos here.
I arrived at 6 o'clock this morning to Stone Town after 12 hours in transit between Kilimanjaro, Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar.
Courtesy of Precision Air. Highly non-recommendable.
Therefore, my energy levels were low, but somehow I made it to the carnival parade at 4 o'clock, where the Old Fort exploded into a session of human fireworks (including a couple of mad donkeys), and signaled the festival opened.
More photos here.
This coming Thursday the Sauti za Busara - the Zanzibar music festival - is on in Stone Town.
It is the sixth edition of the Sauti za Busara music festival and it will take place in Zanzibar, 12-17 February 2009; admission is free to all each day before sunset.
I am obviously going, the event is too good to miss.
I'll also be blogging from the festival - so check my blog from the 12th for festival impressions, and do also check posts here and photos here from last year.
In particular I'm looking forward to these performers: Natacha Atlas (Egypt / UK), Culture Musical Club(Zanzibar), The Moreira Project (South Africa), and Comrade Fatso and Chabvondoka (Zimbabwe).
Confirmed Artists (so far):
Samba Mapangala & Orchestre Virunga (DRC/Kenya/USA), Msondo Ngoma Band (Tanzania), Omar Pene & le Super Diamono (Senegal), Mangala Camara (Mali), Nawal (Comoros/France), King Ayisoba (Ghana), TY (UK), Meta and the Cornerstones (Senegal/USA), The Moreira Project (South Africa), Comrade Fatso and Chabvondoka (Zimbabwe), Jagwa Music (Tanzania), AY (Tanzania), Joh Makini (Tanzania), Elemotho (Namibia), Segere Original (Tanzania), Best of WaPi (Pan Africa), Culture Musical Club (Zanzibar), Mohamed Ilyas & Nyota Zam eremeta (Zanzibar), Bi Kidude (Zanzibar), Iddi Achien'g (Kenya), Khethi with Kibo Sounds (South Africa/Tanzania), Rachel Magoola (Uganda), Wahapahapa Band (Tanzania), Omega Bugembe Okello (Uganda/USA), Aron Nitunga (Burundi/Canada), Safar (Zanzibar), Kiumbizi (Pemba), Zinduka Ngoma (Zanzibar), Dj Side (Zanzibar), and more to be announced
Sauti za Busara is calling for performers in their newsletter for July here. The next festival is February 12-17, 2009.
Their newsletter also quoted me for the following, which I blogged back in February:
'I am still new to music festivals in Africa, but what I can tell is that they are so much more fun than the European ones…. the Indian Ocean is right next door, you have sand between your toes, and it is warm… people are friendlier, the performers move around in the crowd - and the beer is cheaper'
What I mean by fun, is that there is very little of this rock star pretentiousness you often find at concerts in Europe, 'The oh, I'm way too famous for this'. I'm not as such against the sex, drugs and rock'n'roll attitude, but after having been to the Sauti za Busara, it strikes me that there is a great difference when you don't separate performers from the guests into fancy VIP lounges and VIP back stages. Obviously it is there, the Bongo Flava stardom and what not, but Zanzibar sort of lowers it. And for the weather - if you have ever been to the Roskilde music festival in the Danish rain season, you know what I mean. I'm too old for listening to rock music covered in mud, I do prefer sand between my toes.
In terms of music I hope Eric Wainaina is still on for next year. Last month in Nairobi I just bought his latest CD 'Twende Twende' (Let's go), and realised a moment ago that he sings duet with Oliver Mutukudzi, singing 'There is more to Mama Africa/ Than poverty and war/ I wish we had a fighting chance/ To show off who we are.' (I also realised that he has included my colleagues in MS Kenya in his 'Shukranis' - MS Kenya has supported Eric in terms of promoting anti-corruption issues - or maybe it really is Eric supporting MS Kenya in their efforts...?).
Sautui za Busara is the place to show off who we are!
And I think it would be perfect if Sauti za Busara could manage to get Freshly Ground to Zanzibar. Especially now that the South African airline 1time has started a new direct and cheap airline to Zanzibar, - something must be pulled off.
Check out Sauti za Busara or sign up for their newsletter here.
The sixth edition of Sauti
za Busara takes place during 12 - 17 February 2009 in Zanzibar. Centred
for four days in the “Mambo Club” at the historic Old Fort in Stone
Town, the festival then moves on for two days of community shows,
including “Busara Xtra” fringe events around Zanzibar town, suburbs and
rural locations.
As always, Sauti za Busara commences with a blazing carnival procession through the streets of Stone Town, featuring beni brass band, drummers, clowns, stilt-walkers and acrobats. Read more here.
All photos from Sauti za Busara here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/74938124@N00/tags/sautizabusara/
All photos from Stone Town here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/74938124@N00/tags/stonetown
On a more personal note; Thanks to Sauti za Busara for linking back to my blog - and a million thanks to N'faly Kouyaté's manager for writing a real nice e-mail about my post and photos on his performance. These people rock! The most interesting fact to me is, that during writing this exact post on N'faly Kouyaté's performance is the one where I thought the most about the difference between being in Africa compared to Europe. And where I felt real grateful of not having bought a(nother) 100 US dollar ticket for watching the Rolling Stones perform on expensive designer drugs, just because those (the Stones and the designer drugs) are part of my European music curriculum. Somehow watching N'faly Kouyaté felt more like the real thing. I felt surprised, entertained and uplifted. Africa felt like my place.
This comes from a woman who has been brought up with no particular musical, cultural background, who came the closest to it when living in Copenhagen with a South African who consistently complained about her extremely conservative taste in music and inability to try something else apart from the Crowded House. Leaving Europe did change this conservatism, and it has made me feel more open, in fact I have got a whole other music curriculum which I do not listen to because I have to, but because there is more to it.
Hence, I am flattered when N'faly Kouyaté's manager asked for permission to use my photos. As I wrote in the post, I don't think they do the performers great justice (as I was balancing with a Kilimanjaro in my other hand). But, hey, maybe that's the way to do it?! (Check out the man here: www.dunyakan.com or www.myspace.com/nfalykouyate or www.myspace.com/dunyakan)
Anyway, there are photos on display on www.busara.org of a much higher tecnical quality than mine.
A colleague asked me in the office today when I returned to Dar es Salaam: 'How did it actually look like - the festival?!'
Maybe these images give an idea. Maybe you have to be there yourself...?
When I was in Nairobi in November, Liz at the Deeper Meaning of Life took me out to listen to some music, where amongst others Eric Wainaina made a brief guest performance.
Eric is famous for a song called: 'Nchi ya Kitu Kidogo', a song against corruption. The whole Kenya issue was of course, impossible not to mention last night in Stone Town when Eric got on stage. And again he spoke out against the bigger problematic issues on this continent, in particular what is happening in Kenya now. A woman next to me in the crowd looked at me and said: 'I'm Kenyan, and you know Eric is a Kikyu, one from the leading tribe, and he still does that, speak against it. That is something.'
Personally, I agree that that is something. I have always liked when performers turn political and speak up.
PS. the two women in the band looked terrific in their kanga dresses.
Last night I was trying to test if you can have a relatively full Kilimanjaro beer bottle in one hand and a Canon EOS 400D in the other. Without damaging any of the two, yourself or others. The photos do not really do the performers justice. But it went well along with the vibe last night in Stone Town. At least that is how it felt, this morning I am not as light-headed.
It was a real thrill to watch this band - the performers had big smiles on their faces and a lot of energy. This is not like some Rolling Stones concert somewhere in Europe where you pay a fortune to watch some worn-out guys, doing it for what? I think these guys probably do it, too, for the money, but this can't make them filthy rich. There is something else to this, and I don't know what it is. A mix of respect of traditions, of mastering an old special instrument, of pleasing a crowd. The female dancer was extraordinary. She just loved what she was doing.
I am still new to music festivals in Africa, but what I can tell is that they are so much more fun than the European ones. For one thing: the Indian Ocean is right next door, you have sand between your toes, and it is warm. People in general are friendlier, the performers move around in the crowd - and the beer is cheaper.
These musicians are described in the festival programme as 'one of the most well-kept secrets of Zanzibar'. and 'as a spiritual and up-lifting experience'. The programme also says that this group is one in three in the world today which practices this centuries-old religious art form. The musicians play percussion instruments only, arranged on the floor, kneeling in one line. They start softly, with no movement, and then the song unfolds and intensifies. Quite an impressive and interesting way of expressing the elegance within Islam, unfortunately to less known by many Westerners.
I watched them perform last night, when the majority of the ordience preferred to get their spiritual experience next door watching Ghana><Cameroun on a big screen.
Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba played Thursday night at the Sauti za Busara. In the programme described as a 'Malian sensation, one of the greatest masters of ngoni, an ancient traditional African lute'. Other interesting information could be that the wife of Bassekou (in the photo above left), Amy Sacko, is dubbed the Tina Turner of Mali. I wonder if she is the one who was on stage last night when I took these photos. One thing is certain, Bassekou was not entirely satisfied with the sound quality.
Check out www.myspace.com/bassekouyate
The festival has started...Here the parade seen from the roof top terrace at Clove Hotel.
The Zanzibar music festival Sauti za Busara, Sounds of Wisdom, begins today. (Not that I have seen any stressed out Zanzibarians, yet).
Featuring:
Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni ba (West Africa), Malouma (West Africa), Maalesh (Comoros), Seckou Keita Quartet + (West Africa / Europe), Bi Kidude (Zanzibar), Baladna Taarab (Zanzibar), Bantu & Afrobeat Academy (West Africa / Europe), Yunasi (Kenya), Culture Musical Club (Zanzibar), Bring the Noise (Pan Africa), Ahmed el Salam (North Africa / Europe), Afrodynamix (Pan Africa / Europe), Celloman (Europe), National Taarab All Stars (Zanzibar), Maulidi ya Homu ya Mtendeni (Zanzibar), Eric Wainaina & the Mapinduzi Band (Kenya), Tamarind Band (Zanzibar), Nfithe (Mozambique), N’faly Kouyaté and Dunyakan (West Africa / Various), Sakaki Mango (Japan), TMK Majita Original (Tanzania), Maurice Kirya (Uganda), Mwana FA (Tanzania), Nako2Nako Soldiers (Tanzania), Jaymoe (Tanzania), Splendid Theatre (Tanzania), 7 Survival (Tanzania), DCMA meets Tibirinzi All Stars (Pemba), Z. Anto (Tanzania), Kassim (Tanzania), Madee (Tanzania), Jahazi Modern Taarab (Tanzania), Mrisho Mpoto (Tanzania), Black Roots (Zanzibar), Akhenaton Family (Zanzibar), Moto Combat (Tanzania), KIKI Taarab (Zanzibar), Yange Yange Trio (Tanzania), Jakamoyo (Tanzania), Kijiji Family The Big Nation (Zanzibar), DJ Yusuf (Zanzibar / Europe).
Or check it all out here: http://www.busaramusic.org/
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