Artists

Sanaa Taarab was born in 1983, after the then Zanzibar Ballet group stopped its activities. In its early years the group managed to perform by borrowing equipment from Culture Musical Club, with whom they have a long and positive relationship. Currently the group has twenty artists who are employed by read more

Shailja, pronounced Shell-jah, Patel is an Asian African poet and spoken-word theatre artist. She is currently performing a one-woman show, Migritude, which has received a Creation Fund Award from the National Performance Network. Excerpts from Migritude have aired on National Public Radio in the US, and the BBC in the read more

Every year, during the week leading up to the festival, Sauti za Busara, in collaboration with the Dhow Countries Music Academy (DCMA), provides a great opportunity for local and foreign artists to come together, create unique sounds, practice joint, and finally. Performing together as a complete band.

Swahili Encounters 2024 read more

Get down and dance to the new beats of the shubidu shubidu style!

Playing "muziki wa dansi", modern guitar music from Tanzania and "mduara" East African coastal rhythms, Tamarind Band was established early in 2005. The group, featuring 14 members, has already made enormous impact largely thanks to the guidance of read more

The Zawose family, or clan, rather, is the collective progeny and relatives of the internationally renowned Wagogo musician, Hukwe Zawose. Recognized for his talent by Tanzania’s first president, Julius Nyerere, while on a trip around his newly independent nation, Zawose was brought from Dodoma to Dar es Salaam to play read more

Founded in 2003 by artists Kasembe Ungani and Fadhili Mkenda who were both originally with Sisi Tambala, Zemkala is a six-piece band performing a style of music known as "ngwashala" with its roots from the south of Tanzania. Most of the songs they play have Tanzanian roots, combining tradition and read more