Thursday 9 February 2012

Sauti za Busara, Leo Jioni Ngome Kongwe

Picha kwa hisani ya John Pius

Zanzibar celebrates annual Busara Festival.

ZANZIBAR, Tanzania, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- Zanzibar started on Thursday to celebrate Sauti za Busara, a cultural fiesta, aimed at promoting East African music and culture attended by dozens of international art troupes on the autonomous islands off Tanzanian coast.

This year's festival kicks off at 4:00 p.m. at Kisonge Park with the largest ever carnival street parade in the region destined for the Old Fort, Stone Town, where four nights of non- stop live music will be held.

Director of Busara festival Yusuf Mahmoud said seven groups will perform inside the Old Fort for the first night, including Mkota Spirit Dancers from Pemba, the sister Island of Zanzibar, and artists from Cape Verde, Norway and Tanzania mainland.

About 30 groups are to perform in the adjacent amphitheatre at the Old Fort while Zanzibar will take the chance to showcase its unique culture throughout the festival with shows in different venues around town.

Sauti za Busara, which was formed in 2003, has been promoted as one of the friendliest festivals and has grown in leaps and bounds and enjoys an international following.

The annual festival also has played a major role in boosting local tourism with statistics showing the number of visitors to Zanzibar has increased dramatically.


Xinhua

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