Out of Town: 10th Sauti za Busara Festival, Feb. 14-17 2013 @ Old Fort in Zanzibar

Dates: February 14-17, 2013
Venue: Old Fort in Zanzibar
Festival Tickets*: EA Residents US $29, International Visitors US $109
Programme: Festival Timetable

*Festival admission prices vary with citizeship. Find full info here

The Festival
The festival will celebrate a lifetime achievement of bringing together artists and audiences from around Africa and beyond with enriching cultural experiences, promoting cultural diversity and social development for the past 10 years.
Sauti za Busara is an annual music event in East Africa and widely known as ‘the friendliest festival on the planet’. This edition will feature 200 musicians: more than twenty five groups from East Africa and beyond; acoustic and electric, upcoming and established – all performing live.

The Old Fort will host three nights of non-stop live music, with the main programme continuing Friday through Sunday with performances from 5pm until 1am.

The festival also features African Music Films: documentaries, music videos and live concert footage, all focused on promoting the richness and diversity of African music as screened in the amphitheatre of the Old Fort.

Headline Artist Cheikh Lo – Senegal
Headline artist for the 10th edition of Sauti za Busara is internationally acclaimed Baye Fall artist Cheikh Lo from Senegal. A superb singer and songwriter as well as a distinctive guitarist, percussionist and drummer he has personalized and distilled a variety of influences from West and Central Africa, to create a style that is uniquely his own.

To celebrate ten years of Sauti za Busara, the festival showcases “Best of the Best”; audience favourites of past years including Tanzania’s DDC Mlimani Park Orchestra.

Zanzibar’s Culture Musical Club will also showcase at the 10th edition and they remain the most prolific and successful taarab orchestra from East Africa.

Other main acts include Khaira Arby (Mali), Comrade Fatso and Chabvondoka (Zimbabwe), Atongo Zimba (Ghana), N’Faly Kouyaté (Guinea), Nathalie Natiembe (Reunion), Nawal & Les Femmes de la Lune (Comoros/Mayotte), Wazimbo (Mozambique), The Moreira Project (Mozambique/South Africa), Owiny Sigoma Band (Kenya/UK), Mokoomba (Zimbabwe), Msafiri Zawose & Sauti Band (Tanzania), Mani Martin (Rwanda), Burkina Electric (Burkina Faso/USA), Lumumba Theatre Group (Tanzania), Sousou & Maher Cissoko (Senegal/Sweden), Super Maya Baikoko (Tanzania), Peter Msechu (Tanzania) and many more.

Networking Space
Sauti za Busara will continue to host the Movers & Shakers networking forum for local and visiting arts professionals. This networking space facilitates discussions, exchange and development of ideas on the creative industries in the East African region and beyond.

Fringe Events
It’s not just the festival that puts on a show; the local community is encouraged to take part by hosting Busara Xtra fringe events. These include traditional ngoma drum and dance, fashion shows, dhow races, open-mic sessions, after-parties and performances of Zanzibar’s oldest taarab orchestras as arranged by the local community.

For More Information: www.busaramusic.org

Symposium: the Sidis – Indians of East African origin, Oct. 23 2012 @ BIEA

Date: October 23, 2012
Venue: the British Institute In Eastern Africa
Time: 10 am – 12.30 pm
Entry: RSVP on seminars@biea.ac.uk

Symposium by Dr. Abdulaziz Y. Lodhi, Uppsala University, Sweden

Dr. Abdulaziz Y. Lodhi (b. 1945, Zanzibar) is Professor of Swahili and Comparative Bantu at the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at Uppsala University in Sweden.

This symposium focuses on the Sidis of Gujarat who are an interesting example of early globalization in the Indian Ocean lands, and the impact of modern globalization on diaspora communities. He has written a publication on the Sidis which will be on sale at the symposium for only Kshs 200.

Respondent: Prof Kithaka wa Mberia – Dept of Linguistics and Languages, University of Nairobi

Moderator: Tom Odhiambo – Senior Lecturer, Dept of Literature, University of Nairobi

Out of Town: Kisumu 3rd European Film Festival, Jun. 15-17 2012 @ Kisumu Social Centre

Dates: June 15-17, 2012
Venue: Kisumu Social Centre, Ondiek Road (Behind Kisumu Bus Terminal)
Time: Friday at 6.30pm, Sat & Sun at 2pm & 4pm
Entrance: Free

Participating Countries: Austria, France, Netherlands, Switzerland and Sweden

Out of Town/Mombasa: 7th European Film Festival, Jun. 4-10 2012 @ Alliance Francaise de Mombasa

Dates: June 4-10, 2012
Venue: Alliance Francaise de Mombasa Terrace Freed Building, Moi Avenue/Kwa Shibu Road
Time: 1900 Hrs
Entrance: Free

Participating Countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Netherlands, Slovak Republic, Spain and Sweden

21st European Film Festival, May 10-27 2012 @ Alliance Francaise

Dates: May 10-27, 2012
Venue: Alliance Francaise
Time: Weekdays 5.30 & 7.30pm, Weekends 3, 5.30 & 7.30pm
Tickets: Kshs 50
For more info: Facebook event page

Participating Countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland

Programme

Full programme and synopsis of all movies available on the Alliance Francaise website:

http://www.afkenya.or.ke/spip.php?rubrique86&lang=fr

Community Screening
For the first time the organizing committee will be presenting community screening in Kibera, Mathare and Korogocho in collaboration with Hot Sun Foundation

The Danish film, Kidnappet (Lost in Africa) which was shot on location in Kibera has been choosen for free community screenings on Saturdays (May 12, 19 & 26)