Rain fails to dampen spirits at FuTopia Festival

ZANZIBAR: WHAT began as a wet and hesitant evening soon turned into an unforgettable celebration of
sound and spirit.

Day Two of the FuTopia Zanzibar Festival, held at the vibrant coastal setting of Fumba Town, defied the downpour and came alive with energy.

From just after 6:00pm until the final beat dropped at 4:00am, the stage became a conduit for power performances and deep connection between artists and audience, between rhythm and rain.

More interesting, time flashed from day to midnight to morning yet no one was heading home. Sleep was forgotten. Instead, feet found rhythm, and hearts beat to the pulse of live music. FuTopia Zanzibar Festival had reached its most electric moment and at its centre stood Bensoul flown in from Kenya to set the stage alight.

Dressed in red and white, he emerged after a ten-minute instrumental introduction that built like a wave. The crowd, restless with anticipation, erupted as he stepped forward. Guitar in hand, he didn’t just start his set he breathed life into it.

He sang. He played. And the audience sang with him. Every strum of the guitar was deliberate, every note vocalised with soul. Then came the moment when he stopped singing altogether letting the guitar speak in his place. No words, just strings and silence filled with meaning. The crowd felt it. They roared. They
danced harder.

It wasn’t just a performance, it was communion. The piano, the drums, the guitar all in perfect dialogue with his voice. But it was his movement, too a fluid language of its own that pulled the crowd into a collective sway.

The front of the stage became a dance floor, the entire audience swept up in the rhythm. No one wanted it to end. No one thought of their beds. FuTopia was sweeter. One of the standout moments of the night came when Bensoul sang his song called ‘Nairobi’ , a hit that lit up the crowd with instant recognition.

The opening chords alone were enough to trigger a wave of excitement, and by the first chorus, the entire audience was singing along, word for word. It was well past midnight, but the atmosphere felt anything but weary.

The crowd was alive, the lights burned bright, and the energy pulsed through the grounds like electricity.
As if in a seamless relay, Bensoul had just wrapped up a powerful set and passed the metaphorical baton to Tanzania’s fierce rapper, Rosa Ree. What followed was nothing short of a
cultural eruption.

Draped in a striking outfit crafted from vibrant kitenge fabric from her flowing dress to the carefully styled hat Rosa Ree owned the stage the moment she stepped onto it. Her performance wasn’t just about music; it was a statement. Backed by a dynamic team dressed in traditional African attire, the set felt like a celebration of heritage fused with modern rhythm.

Her dance moves were bold, her verses sharp and the crowd matched her energy beat for beat. For a moment, time felt suspended from the night as bright and charged as broad daylight.

Speaking to ‘Daily News’ after her performance, Rosa Ree reflected on her journey in a genre
where female voices are often sidelined.

“You don’t wait for space, you carve your own. Rap is about telling your truth. For me, it’s never been about fitting in. It’s about standing out, staying disciplined, and staying with me,” she said.

When asked about the crowd’s response, her face lit up. “From the second I took the mic, I felt the love. They didn’t just watch, they moved with me, word for word, step for step. That connection is everything.”

Rosa Ree, known offstage as Rosary Iwole, has long defied expectations. Her presence, both musically and visually, fuses raw talent with deep cultural pride. “My identity is not negotiable. I can only be me and there’s power in that,” she said firmly.

But the night didn’t belong to Rosa Ree and Bensoul alone. The entire day carried a vibrant pulse, one built not only by the performers but by the DJs who held the rhythm in their hands. Among them was Yusuf Mahmoud, who opened Day Two with a set that served as both a warm-up and a revival.

The skies had poured earlier, but as the sun dipped into the ocean, Yusuf greeted the crowd with a seamless mix of hit after hit. It was more than music; it was a wake-up call, a call to dance, and the audience responded with joy, feet moving to every beat he laid down.

His set laid a solid foundation for what would become a memorable night. From the start to the closing, the energy never dipped and that finale came in the form of the Tribal Natives, a DJ crew hailing from Eswatini.
Dressed in eye-catching zebra-print jackets and with one side of their faces painted, they were a visual and sonic force.

Their set wasn’t just a performance, it was a dance ritual. With a curated blend of Eswatini hits and crowd favourites, they turned the final moments into a collective celebration. People didn’t just stay on their feet they flowed, together, with the music.

Also standing out on the lineup was South African musician and performer Bonj, who brought a different kind of fire to the stage. With a powerful, soul-drenched voice and commanding presence, she shifted the tone with depth and feeling.

Songs like ‘Til The Tide’ and ‘Against’ ‘The Grain’; resonated deeply, her transitions between genres smooth and natural.
Bonj wasn’t just performing, she was connecting, carrying the audience through a journey of sound that was both intimate and electric.