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Artists’ application form: Sauti za Busara 2023

The Call for Artists is now open for the 20th season of Sauti za Busara festival, set to shake the walls of Stone Town, Zanzibar during 9 – 12 February 2023.

Sauti za Busara showcases unique and diverse music, primarily from the African Continent and diaspora. Musicians representing the Arab World and Indian Ocean region are also welcome to apply.

The Call for Artists is open only until 31st July 2022.

For more information and link to application form, see https://www.busaramusic.org/call-for-artists-2023

Audience at Sauti za Busara 2022 by Rashid Nadhir

Audience at Sauti za Busara 2022 by Markus Meissl

Audience at Sauti za Busara 2022 by Rashde Fidigo

Sauti za Busara festival 2022 took place at the Old Fort, Zanzibar from 11 to 13 February, with 4,000 attendees each day from across Africa, Europe and other continents united in celebration of live music from Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Congo, Reunion and South Africa.

Effects of the pandemic had complicated international travel with many countries still enforcing strict Covid protocols. However, despite these and other financial challenges, we managed to pull off what many people say was our greatest festival to date!

Once again, we proved audiences yearn for more diverse musical expressions from across the African continent. We showed it is possible to host a unique and exciting African music experience that brings social and economic benefits for the island, without having to threaten or compromise our cultural traditions. 

This year our spotlight shone brightly on female performers from East and southern Africa, under the banner ‘Paza Sauti; Amplifying Women’s Voices’. Behind the scenes, women were also employed as coordinators, technicians, stage managers and security crew members, in recognition that opportunities for women need to be increased across all sectors of the music industry.

Audience favourites at Sauti za Busara 2022 included Sampa The Great (Zambia), Siti & The Band (Zanzibar), Msaki (South Africa), Sholo Mwamba (Tanzania), Vitali Maembe (Tanzania), Sjava (South Africa), Fanie Fayar (Congo), Nomfusi (South Africa), Wamwiduka Band (Tanzania) and more. 

© Busara Promotions, CL Films

Special Thanks to Blue Amber Zanzibar

Each year in Zanzibar during February since 2004, Sauti za Busara has attracted thousands of locals and people from across the world to celebrate the richness and diversity of our music and cultural heritage. The festival would not be possible without partners and sponsors, such as the Norwegian Embassy who covered most of our office running costs since 2009. As this support expired in March 2022, we spent much of the past year trying to find another donor, to no avail. We never gave up completely, but time was running and we had almost lost hope of being able to continue.  

Finally at the last minute, like a miracle Blue Amber Zanzibar offered to save the Busara Promotions NGO, and cover our core operational expenses for the next three years. Words cannot describe the joy our team is feeling at this moment, knowing the festival will keep going. This happiness is shared by thousands of Tanzanians, artists and music fans across the world.  

Located in Matemwe on the north east coast of Zanzibar, Blue Amber is set to become a leading African leisure destination and Zanzibar’s premier island resort and recognised as a strategic investment project in Tanzania. “Sauti za Busara has produced valuable tourism investment and income for our citizens, through performing artists, employment of staging personnel, and valuable media publicity promoting Zanzibar.” said Blue Amber CEO, Grant Anderson. “The festival now becomes a pillar of our Corporate Social Responsibility mandate and we would like to assure the Zanzibaris, and globally, that the Sauti za Busara festival will grow in stature and reputation.”

The founder of Blue Amber Zanzibar, Saleh Said emphasized “As a Zanzibari I was devastated to hear that the Sauti za Busara festival was unable to continue due to a lack of funds. It would be a travesty if the festival came to an end and impacted on the livelihoods of our people and Zanzibar as a whole. We are pleased that our intervention of this sponsorship deal will bring stability to the festival plans.”

"The Sauti za Busara festivals have attracted thousands of people from across the world to our beautiful island. We have seen significant economic growth in Zanzibar over the years and one contributing factor has been the music festival. It is a stage where our musicians and artists have been able to show the world the culture and heritage of Zanzibar.  It has also been a stage for us to learn from other countries and adopt best practices that helped our communities develop creatively and have freedom of expression," said Deputy Secretary Ministry of Information, Culture and Sports Zanzibar Hon. Khamis Abdallah Said. "The news that Blue Amber will enable the continuity of Sauti za Busara is exulting to all Zanzibaris," he added.

Team Busara thanks all at Blue Amber for their commitment to keep our festival alive. Further we urge government leaders, international donors, CEOs and marketing managers of banks, phone companies, the hotel and travel industries to follow Blue Amber’s lead. Invest in arts and culture, help local festivals be more sustainable, join hands with all who keep our heritage alive and offer unique and unforgettable experiences for visitors to the region.

photo by (code studio tanzania)

photo by (code studio tanzania)

Looking forwards to see you at the 20th Sauti za Busara festival

Stone Town, Zanzibar, 9 - 12 February 2023

Karibuni nyote and welcome all. We promise the 20th edition will be extra special!

Like and follow @sautizabusara 

Busara Promotions
P O Box 3635
Stone Town
Zanzibar, Tanzania

[email protected]

Tel: +255 24 223 2423
or +255 773 822 294

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