THURSDAY evening’s live Marafiki Music Festival was enlivened by an eye-catching stage decorated with cultural artefacts. A stage was set up at the Village Museum in Dar es Salaam, bringing thousands of music fans to witness several artists performing.
Aside from the stage’s beauty, attendance and artists’ performances, the band and individuals were well coordinated with the artists. Their instruments were composed of both traditional and modern elements, creating a unique rhythm and musical sound.
The musicians played with precision and energy, creating a captivating performance that the audience loved. The stage was lit up with colourful lights and the crowd was on their feet dancing and singing along. It was an unforgettable experience.
Among the groups that brought vibrant performances included the Sun Xa Experiment (pictured), which is an ancestral spiritual avantgarde box group, with artists from Gauteng and Durban, South Africa born in 2014. They are currently located in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The group went on stage after a superb opening performance from Tanzanian musician Salma Munde, a talented musician and poet. The group delivered a classy performance that was well received by the Tanzanian audience at the venue. In addition to traditional ornaments, men had white paint painted on their bodies. The women wore colourful dresses and head scarves.
The performance included traditional dance, song and drum beats. The audience was captivated by the colourful performance and joined in enthusiastically. Their attractive appearance, dance moves and vocals drove the crowd wild. There was a great connection between the audience and the performers. After their performance, they expressed their utmost excitement on the stage and in the audience.
“We have performed on different stages, big and small. The crowd at Marafiki really connected with us and they paid attention to our performance,” said Tebogo Mkhize, a bass player in the South African group. Salma also thanked the audience after her opening performance festival.
She noted: “Thank you, Marafiki Music Festival management, for the opportunity. Being the first to perform makes me feel like the firstborn of this festival.” Her vocals and passion were captivating and she clearly had the audience in the palm of her hand. She was How Marafiki Music Festival electrified audience clearly overjoyed to be performing at the festival and was full of enthusiasm. After the two colourful performances by Salma and Sun Xa Experiment, there followed other performances by Msafiri Zawose and Kadalida.
The unique thing about these two artists is that they made people sing and dance despite it raining. The rain did not stop the audience from enjoying the music. The rain only seemed to add to the atmosphere of the performance.
The artists’ energy and enthusiasm were infectious and the audience was having a great time despite the weather. The rain even seemed to add to the performance, with the audience singing and jumping around in the rain.
