ZANZIBAR: EVERY year, Sauti za Busara festival brings together artists from different parts of the world to showcase their unique musical talents on stages set at the Old Fort Main Stage, Amphitheatre, and Forodhani in Unguja.
The festival spans over three days and delivers a mix of performances that celebrate the cultural heritage of different musical groups from various African nations.
During the festival, 25 bands from 12 countries perform and lighten up the stages to entertain audiences from all over. What’s even more interesting is that less than a week before the festival, a combined music group is formed, it prepares a show with a fused musical style and instruments from eight countries.
This group, known as Swahili Encounters, brings together artists from eight countries, including Zanzibar, Tanzania mainland, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Niger and Uganda.
Swahili Encounters aim at creating a unique sound that defines the festival’s new sounds live in a single performance on stage. The artists included in the pack were Fatime Songoro (Hungary/Tanzania) on Saxophone, Siti Amina (Zanzibar) on Oud/Vocal, Islam Elbeiti (Sudan) on Bass, Chudo Master (Tanzania) on Djembe/Nyatiti, Hassan Mahenge (Tanzania) on percussion and saxophone, Girum Mezmur (Ethiopia) on Guitar/Accordion, Alhousseini Mohammed (Niger) on Guitar, Mary Anibal (Zimbabwe) on Vocal/ Mbira, Muhonja (Kenya) on Vocal and Mariam Namuyodi (Uganda) on Drum.
The group’s uniqueness lies on their ability to combine all the instruments and the way they play together in a distinctive style that is based on their cultural background.
This makes it difficult to differentiate which style is being played at any given moment, as it can appear to be jazz, reggae, rhumba, or taarab. In summary, they defined the beauty of music through a fusion of styles.
During their performance, they played a variety of instruments, including the mbira and rattles made from gourds. They opened with a Zimbabwean song called “Zebe Zebe” sung in the Shona language. The song was accompanied by a live background of both traditional and modern instruments.
Among the traditional instruments used were the mbira and gourd rattles. Their music incorporates various genres to create a single element that brings joy and harmony to the audience.
Speaking with ‘Daily News,’ Hassani Juma Mahenge, the group’s Music Director, pointed out that it was not an easy job for them to make the group packed together and deliver that kind of performance. He added that they had less than six days to bring the artists together and compose a voice and style that could represent one voice for Africa at the festival.
“It took us six days to bring these eight superb artists from different countries. Each with his or her style of music. We worked hard from day to night and in the end, we got what we delivered. “During the performance, the audience became wild, stood up and danced nonstop.
I really enjoyed it. It was incredible to watch my team connect with the audience, jumping and singing together.” Swahili encounters advocate for peace During their performance, the artists not only showcased their musical talent but also took the opportunity to raise awareness about genderbased violence and advocate for peace. Mariam Namuyodi, a Kenyan vocalist, thanked the audience for their warm reception and introduced a special song dedicated to ending wars in countries such as Sudan.
The song, called “Peace and Love,” was led by Sudanese bass player and social change activist, Islam Elbeiti. As they began to sing, the lights dimmed, creating a sombre atmosphere that reflected the message of the song.
Islam’s emotional plea against war in Sudan brought tears to her eyes, highlighting the importance of spreading love and peace in our troubled world.
“About 10 months ago the country was ripped away by war in 10 months of absolute frustration where the people have lost so much in the last 10 months and I’m not telling you this because I want you to feel guilty or anything. “I’m telling you this because you need to know what’s happening.What is frustrating is that our case is no longer hurt and forgive me if I cry. “Because there are so many people displayed at the moment, millions of Sudanese people including myself I was dancing so much and I miss my country so much I want to tell you today.”