By BAMUTURAKI MUSINGUZI

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The organisers of Sauti za Busara Festival have announced the line-up for next year's festival scheduled for February 7-10 at its traditional venue of Stone Town in Zanzibar.
The main venue for next year’s extravaganza is the Old Fort. The festival will feature 44 performances by artistes from across Africa on three live stages with over 400 musicians performing for four days and nights.

The musicians lined up are: BCUC (South Africa), Afrigo Band (Uganda), FID Q (Tanzania), Mokomba (Zimbabwe), Mkubwa Na Wanawe Crew (Tanzania), Hoba Hoba Spirit (Morocco), Ifrikya Spirit (Algeria), Ithrene (Algeria), Faith Mussa (Malawi), Fadhilee Itulya (Kenya), Tausi Women's Taarab (Zanzibar/Tanzania), Rajab Suleiman and Kithara (Zanzibar/Tanzania), M'toro Chamou (Mayotte/Reunion), Sofaz (Reunion), Tune Recreation Committee (South Africa) and Jackie Akello (Uganda).

The others are Wamwiduka Band (Tanzania), Shamsi Music (Kenya), Dago Roots (Reunion), Trio Kazanchis +2 (Ethiopia/Switzerland), Lydol (Cameroon), Damian Soul (Tanzania), S Kide and Wakupeti Band (Tanzania), Stone Town Rockerz (Zanzibar/Tanzania), Man Sulei Tara Jazz (Zanzibar/Tanzania), and Eli Maliki (Uganda), among others.

Besides live music performance, the 16th edition of the festival will also feature a Carnival Parade in Zanzibar's outlying districts, and Swahili Encounters where local and visiting musicians exchange and collaborate.

Sauti za Busara Festival 2019 is supported by the Norwegian Embassy, Embassy of Switzerland to Tanzania and Zambia, Zenj Digital Television, Zanlink, Memories of Zanzibar, Emerson Zanzibar, Embassy of France and Music In Africa.

The annual festival is organised by Busara Promotions, a non-profit non-governmental organisation and takes place every February in Stone Town.

Its objective is to promote respect for cultural diversity. The performers represent Tanzanian, East African, continental and African diaspora.

Over 40 per cent of the groups are from Tanzania and represent a mix of both young, local and emerging talents alongside established acts.