Artists

The Mkota Spirit Dancers are a traditional Zanzibari dance troupe from southern Pemba, widely described as the most energetic performers in Zanzibar. Since 1985 they have wowed audiences throughout the archipelago with their repertoire of rare dances, which include gonga, boso, kyaso, and the transfixing possession dance known read more

Mohamed Ilyas embodies the culture and history of the Zanzibar islands like no other. He comes from a great tradition of taarab singers who took the Arabic origin of the art form and transformed it to a uniquely Zanzibar experience. He is firmly grounded in this tradition, with a read more

Founded in 1905, Nadi Ikhwan Safaa can probably trace its roots back further than any other orchestra in Africa.

At first, the group played Egyptian and Arabic music. In the early 1950s, they started composing their own songs with Swahili lyrics. Since then, Ikhwan Safaa - or ‘Malindi Taarab’, as they read more

Kikundi cha Taifa (National Taarab Orchestra) of Zanzibar was founded many years ago, having a flexible set up but always featuring the cream of the crop of taarab musicians from the Islands.

The group is presently under the artistic direction of two of Zanzibar's taarab maestros, Mr Iddi Suwedi of Culture read more

Zanzibar's most promising Hiphop group, playing a variety of Rap, Ragga and R&B music using swahili language, like most hip hop artists their songs are about love and issues affecting daily lives of people in their society. They have participated in a number of concerts and at the 2003 Festival read more

Pungwa is a traditional Zanzibari spirit dance found in the northwest of Unguja, and this group is widely described as the most energetic performers in Zanzibar.
More than 150 years ago pungwa traditional spirit dance was established by Shaali Bambao in Bumbwini Makoba village. Shaali Bambao was lost in read more