Sounds of wisdom tonight in Zanzibar

I’ll also add one post about the Sauti za Busara music festival here in Zanzibar, as the schedule for tonight is both manifold and inviting. The title of the festival stands for “Sound of Wisdom”.

Malick Pathé Sow, a traditional hoddu and kora player from Senegal, already started just after sunset around 7 pm. This is a guy who has played for years together with his world-famous compatriot Baaba Maal. The music is acoustic and timeless. The festival brochure says his latest album Maayo Men “could surely have been recorded at any point in the last few centuries.”

Soon the stage will be open for Mari Boine, indigenous Sámi singer from the furthest north of Norwegian Lapland. She brings the musical joiku greetings from the land of reindeers, Santa Claus and about one metre of clean white snow at the moment.

Later in the evening, there will be a group called Del & Diho from the island of Mayotte, which is one of Seychelles islands, but has decided to remain as a French overseas territory. From what I know, the Indian Ocean islands’ popular music is something really unique, mixing rhythms from Madagascar to their own Creole culture with coastal and other influences.

Next on stage will be Ba Cissokho, whose Guinean fusion of traditions and the modern is already well-known by fans all over the world. I’m looking much forward to experience this performance live at 11 pm under the starlight at the Zanzibar Old Fort.

The final performer tonight will be the modern taarab star Nyota Ndogo from Mombasa. She’s the winner of several national music awards in Kenya.