Artists

Founded in 1958, Culture Musical Club is Zanzibar's most prolific and successful taarab orchestra. The club performs widely at concerts in Zanzibar town, but also frequently travels overland with a fold-up stage and an electricity generator to bring its music to the rural areas. They have released hundreds of songs read more

Said Abdallah, aka DJ Side, is one of the island's hardest-working radio presenters.

DJ Side (pronounced "See-day") spends most of his time at Zenji FM (96.8), "Sauti ya Pwani" (Voice of the Coast) - Zanzibar's first private radio station.

Side started in music at Zanzibar's Dhow Countries Music Academy (DCMA), where he read more

DJ Yusuf moved to Zanzibar in 1998 and set up Busara Promotions. Since 2004 he has been director of Sauti za Busara music festival. However, he still finds time to spin the discs at hotels, beach resorts and full moon parties around Zanzibar under the banner of Routes in Rhythm.

The read more

Elemotho Gaalelekwe Richardo Mosimane is a Namibian born musician who composes, records and plays his own music. Elemotho plays acoustic guitar and sings in his mother-tongue Setswana as well as other Namibian languages.

Through his music, Elomotho turns oppression into liberation and failure into triumph, where past, present and future is read more

Born in Nairobi, Iddi Achien'g was introduced to music by her mother who sang around her as she went about her daily chores. Growing up in a musical family, with a brother who played guitar and piano and sisters who sang in the church choir, she was exposed to music read more

Consisting of nine artists, Jagwa Music are the leading exponents of the Mchiriku style, which originated 20 years ago in the poor suburbs of Dar es Salaam; when cheap Casio keyboards first became available.

Jagwa Music and their peers were immediately attracted by the Casio’s lo-fi sound, adopted read more