Uncertainty reigns whether we will see another edition of Sauti za Busara festival traditionally held in Zanzibar. According to the festival director, the ongoing 19th edition could very well be the last
Sauti za Busara music festival kicked off on Friday night at the old Fort in Stone Town Zanzibar with an array of performances from artistes mainly drawn from Eastern and Southern Africa.
This year’s festival is held under the theme: ‘Amplifying Women’s Voices’
The 19th edition of the annual festival which is traditionally held in February brought the usually calm and quiet Stone Town neighbourhood to life as thousands lined up as early as 4:00Pm to pick their tickets
They had come from far and near, and as the Muezzin called the faithful for Salat and the DJ switched of the music, the Old Fort was already packed with visitors.
Bongo Flava RnB artiste Ben Pol takes his audience on a musical tour
And when the proceedings finally resumed, there was something for everyone, from Upendo Manase’s afro-fusion to Ben Pol’s RnB that took the audience on musical tour.
Performances from groups such as Zanzibar’s Nadi Ikwan Safaa, Zan Ubuntu, South Africa’s Nomfusi,Zimbabwe’s Evans MPfumela Mapfumo and Congo Brazaville’s Fanie Fayar were nostalgic.
To most in attendance and the performers, this was their first outing in almost two years due to the novel Coronavirus pandemic which brought international travel and economies to a standstill.
Fanie Fayar from Congo Brazaville
In fact, there were some last minute cancellations due to travel difficulties for groups that come from the Maghreb countries
This is exactly what they had missed for past two years as they danced the night away in a celebration of African music and diversity under the African skies.
There were some obvious take-aways, the audience still miss live performances just as Prof Mohammed Ilias of the Classic Taarab group Nadi Ikwan Safaa continues to blossom even in his twilight years.
Zimbabwe’s Evans MPfumela Mapfumo
The last dance
But as the night wore on something odd struck the audience leaving them wondering whether this could be their last dance at the iconic venue.
This was after festival director Yusuf Mahmoud made the announcement that they were in doubt whether they would be able to hold the 20th edition of the festival in 2023 and beyond.
“Usually on a day like this we announce the dates for the next festival because we are not sure whether we will be able raise the funds,” he said.
Sauti za Busara Festival director Yusuf Mahmoud addresses the audience on the opening night of the 2022 edition
According to Mr Mahmoud the core funding that they had been receiving from the Norwegian Embassy for the past 13 years will come to an end in March 2023.
“Busara’s income from ticket sales covers less than 30 percent of the total costs which runs into hundreds of thousands of dollars. It would probably get in twice as much if it just corresponded to the commercial purpose,” said Mr Mhamoud.
He added: However, this would exclude many Tanzanians from participating. The festival is about engaging Zanzibaris and Tanzanians by significantly subsidizing entry fees.
Speaking at an earlier interview board chairman Simai Mohammed Said echoed similar feelings saying that the festival constitutes an economic resource for the Zanzibari people given the fact that February has now become a high season for tourists on the Isles.
“With a little support from the tourism support institutions Sauti za Busara has become one of the most valuable experiential products that Zanzibar has to offer,” he said.
Prof Mohammed Ilias
The number of tourists to Zanzibar increases significantly each year in February with International media naming the Sauti za Busara as one of the top 10 must-go-to events.
A report shows that even in 2020, tourist arrivals in Zanzibar during the month of February increased by 0.5 percent to 61,752 arrivals whereas in February 2021, there were 51,574 arrivals compared to 49,868 in January of the same year.
This was quite against global trends where most countries had closed their airspace and some were still in lockdowns.
No winners
Indeed, should the festival close its doors the worst hit will be the businesses in Stone Town that have since turned this season into a harvest period.
Most Five star hotels in the vicinity and beyond were all fully booked a week ago with guests arriving from as far as Canada and Australia.
Mariam Juma operates a curio shop at Ngome Kongwe she says the closure would leave them counting losses.
“In 2016 when the festival was not held we suffered losses and it was a miserable year for everyone who does business here,” she said.
Omar Othman a taxi driver echoes similar sentiments because he and his colleagues hardly have a rest during this period as they have to ferry visitors and festival goers around the Isles
