Music, dance and storytellingSub-Saharan Africa
Sauti za Busara
A February meeting of musicians in Zanzibar's Old Fort
Sauti za Busara is a music festival held each February in Zanzibar, Tanzania, whose Swahili name means Sounds of Wisdom. Its concerts fill the Old Fort, while fringe events, among them a street carnival called Beni, run at the same time through Stone Town, with hundreds of artists taking part each year.
When is Sauti za Busara kept?
Sauti za Busara is kept every year in February, over several days in Zanzibar.
Sauti za Busara is a music festival held in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Its Swahili name means Sounds of Wisdom. Every February, musicians gather at the Old Fort in Stone Town, while a street carnival called Beni and other fringe events fill the surrounding streets. Hundreds of artists appear over the days of the festival, playing taarab, pop and hip-hop.
What it is
Sauti za Busara takes its name from Swahili words that translate as Sounds of Wisdom. It is a music festival, held once a year in Zanzibar, Tanzania, and it brings listeners and performers together for a few days in February. The heart of the programme sits in the Old Fort, called Ngome Kongwe in Swahili, in Stone Town. Around the same days, other events appear in the streets nearby. Several hundred artists take part in a single year, which makes the gathering a meeting point for musicians working in the region.
Music and artists
The bill leans on taarab, a Swahili song tradition, and it makes room for Tanzanian pop and hip-hop as well. The festival lists Bi Kidude, a taarab singer, and the Culture Musical Club among the artists who have played there. With hundreds of performers taking part in a single year, the programme is broad, and established song forms stand beside newer popular styles. A listener may meet a taarab group and a hip-hop act within the same edition. That range is part of what the festival offers its audiences.
Around Stone Town
The Old Fort is not the whole festival. While the central programme runs inside its walls, fringe events happen at the same time in other parts of Stone Town. One of them is a street carnival called Beni, in which performers move through the streets with music. Because of this fringe programme, the festival is felt beyond a single venue, among the lanes and squares nearby. A visitor who comes for the concerts may come across a parade instead. The two parts belong together: the fort holds the main events, and the town around it hosts the rest.
Editions and change
The twelfth edition came in 2015. Soon afterwards the organisers said the 2016 edition would be cancelled, because there was a shortage of funding. That decision showed how much the festival depends on money raised for it each year. When the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic arrived, an edition still went ahead in Zanzibar in February 2021. Organisers have therefore kept the gathering going through hard conditions, and the festival's recent history holds both a gap and a return.
How Sauti za Busara is kept
Across several days in February, the Old Fort in Stone Town becomes the main site, and hundreds of artists perform there over the run of the festival. During the same period, fringe events are staged around Stone Town, among them a street carnival called Beni. On the bill are taarab groups and singers, along with performers of Tanzanian pop and hip-hop. Audiences come to the fort for the concerts and meet other events in the streets nearby.
When and where
It is held each February in Zanzibar, over several days, together with fringe events around Stone Town. The date is set by the organisers and falls in the same month every year. Editions have taken place in February across many years, including 2015 and 2021.
Its home is Zanzibar, Tanzania, and the central programme is held in the Old Fort, or Ngome Kongwe, in Stone Town. Fringe events spread into the surrounding lanes of Stone Town during the festival days. Zanzibar is where it is rooted.
What Sauti za Busara means
Swahili speakers hear the name as Sounds of Wisdom, which puts music alongside knowledge and learning. For those who gather in Zanzibar, the festival is a meeting place: taarab singers appear on the same programme as rappers, and musicians meet one another there. Its name carries a thought about what music is for, and the festival's continuing presence in Stone Town gives artists a shared stage each February.
Questions people ask about Sauti za Busara
When is Sauti za Busara kept?
Sauti za Busara is kept every year in February, over several days in Zanzibar.
What is Sauti za Busara?
It is a music festival held each February in Zanzibar, Tanzania. The Swahili name means Sounds of Wisdom. Concerts centre on the Old Fort, with fringe events around Stone Town, and hundreds of artists take part each year.
What kinds of music are played?
Taarab, a Swahili song tradition, is central. Artists who have appeared include the taarab singer Bi Kidude and the Culture Musical Club. The programme also reaches into Tanzanian pop and hip-hop.
Has the festival always taken place?
No. The twelfth edition was held in 2015, and the organisers cancelled the 2016 edition because funding was short. An edition went ahead in February 2021, during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.
See also
Zanzibar International Film FestivalAn annual ten-day arts, music and cinema gathering held across Zanzibar.
Congolese rumbaAn African dance music and guitar tradition born along the Congo River
Swahili doorA carved wooden entrance from the East African coast, adorned with metal studs and intricate motifs.
NgalawaA traditional double-outrigger sailing canoe of the Swahili coastGood reading and sources
- Sauti za Busara on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Sauti za Busara", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryParampara rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.
More from Tanzania
All the traditions of Tanzania
🇹🇿 Zanzibar City, TanzaniaZanzibar International Film Festival
An annual ten-day arts, music and cinema gathering held across Zanzibar.Performance
🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo and 5 moreCongolese rumba
An African dance music and guitar tradition born along the Congo RiverPerformance
🇰🇪 Kenya and 1 moreAdumuEnkipaata
A Maasai warrior dance of high jumps from a circle, done at weddings and ritesPerformance
🇲🇼 Rumphi, Malawi and 2 moreTumbuka dances and festivals
Dances for healing and celebration, and the yearly festivals that keep themPerformance
The same idea elsewhere
All of this kind
🇹🇷 Kayseri, Turkey and 4 moreHalay
A traditional line and circle folk dance kept across Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Iran, and Syria.Performance
🇧🇷 BrazilBaião
A syncopated folk rhythm and partnered dance from northeastern BrazilPerformance
🇺🇦 Kyiv, UkraineBanduraБандура
A Ukrainian plucked string instrument played to accompany epic songs and folk balladsPerformance
🇳🇿 Auckland, New ZealandPoi
A Māori performing art of swinging tethered weights in rhythmical patterns.Performance