Stellar line-up confirmed for Sauti za Busara 2020

Three stages will host 31 bands showcasing different traditional African music as well as contemporary sounds, including electronica and hip hop.

Confirmed artists include Bebe Baya (Guinea), FRA! (Ghana), Guiss Guiss Bou Bess (Senegal), Mamy Kanouté (Senegal), Kaloubadya (Reunion), Mannyok (Mauritius), Mehdi Qamoum (Morocco), Ison Mistari aka Zenji Boy (Zanzibar), Seun Olota (Nigeria), Apio Moro (Uganda), Evon (Uganda), Blinky Bill (Kenya), Lulu Abdalla (Kenya), Ambasa Mandela & The Last Tribe (Kenya), Sibusiso 'Mash' Mashiloane (South Africa), the Mehdi Laifaoui Trab Project (Algeria), Pigment (Reunion), Mapanya Band ( Zanzibar), Mopao Swahili Jazz  (Tanzania), Nadi Ikhwan Safaa Malindi Taarab (Zanzibar), Oumar Konaté (Mali), Sinachuki Kidumbak (Zanzibar), Sinaubi & Zawose Spirit Group (Tanzania), Siti & The Band (Zanzibar), Tarajazz (Zanzibar), The Mafik (Tanzania), Wakazi (Tanzania), Yembemá (Colombia), Rahat Zamaan Taarab Orchestra (Zanzibar), Souad Asla & Lemma (Algeria) and Thaïs Diarra (Senegal).

Aside from showcases, the SzB 2020 programme will feature the daily Movers and Shakers sessions – a platform for artists, managers, music promoters and media professionals, among others, to network and exchange knowledge and information.

Additionally, the Swahili Encounters residency project will take place a week before the start of the festival. Selected artists from different musical backgrounds will be invited to collaborate and create new music at the Dhow Countries Music Academy (DCMA). The participating artists will then perform the new compositions at the festival.

“This year we received 500 applications from artists representing 70 countries across the African Continent, and diaspora,” festival director Yusuf Mahmoud told Music In Africa. “Out of the 500 artists who applied for Sauti za Busara this year, we were pleased to see that 155 also uploaded new profiles to the Music In Africa website – the official SzB platform that was used by curators to check applicants’ profiles. This means that their promotional materials will continue to be seen by other promoters, managers and professionals in the African music industry."

A special curation committee was tasked with reviewing this year's applications, with a specific focus on artistic quality, originality, creativity, innovation and gender balance.

“While highlighting music from the East Africa region, we aimed to ensure that especially young, new and emerging talents are also represented from North, South, West and Central Africa, and some islands in the Indian Ocean," Mahmoud said. "Finally, we also had to consider whether these artists could perform live – playback is not allowed at Sauti za Busara – and whether the audiences would love their music."

The 2020 edition will run under the theme of Love Live Music, to advise musicians against the use of programmed backtracks during live performances.

“While celebrating a continuing growth of global interest in African music, the most popular music nowadays is generated on computers. In recent years, sadly, fewer people are learning to play musical instruments to an extent where many of Africa's rich cultural traditions face a real threat of extinction. For this reason, our main theme at SzB will be Love Live Music,” Mahmoud said.

Nigerian Afrobeat musician Seun Olota will be performing in front of an East African audience for a second time after showcasing at the ACCES music conference in Nairobi, Kenya, last year.

“I am pleased to be part of SzB because as an artist, as I am always in search of opportunities that break boundaries and open up avenues for new friendships," he said. “Issues like musical diversity and inclusion – particularly in terms of gender – are discussed all the time but aren’t backed by much action. Here is a festival that walks the talk. We need to commend SzB for its dogged approach to programme musicians from across Africa and for having continued to operate on a tight budget over the years.

Buy tickets to Sauti za Busara 2020 here.