Sauti za Busara 2020-Shining light on authentic East African music

By Caroline Uliwa

Sinaubi Band members (family)
playing the Zeze & Irimba photo by Rashde Fidigo

When a musician is seasoned its though their instrument is an extension of their body, they bend it at will; producing careful notes aimed straight for the soul using that universal language-music. Attending three events from last month’s annual festival Sauti za Busara had me witnessing such musicians.

The theme for the festival this year was ‘love live music’, a political statement to the music industry in the region, particularly in Tanzania. As mainstream air waves hardly cover musicians like the acts featured in this festival, one can easily see globalisation & the continents sordid past of abuse as culprits.

Member of Sinaubi's band playing Gogo tribal drums-Rashde Fidigo

“Indigenous  communities  around  the  world  are  constantly  struggling  to  maintain  …their traditions…in  a  system  still  dominated  by  a  western  worldview.  They  face  the challenge  of  living  in  two  worlds,  the  indigenous  and  the  non-indigenous  one,  in  constant  tension  with each other, with the latter having more power in shaping the former.”-UNESCO paper 2016 -Indigenous knowledge and implications for the sustainable development agenda

Interacting with various live musicians in the region, you’ll notice those with music rooted in East African traditions, are rigorously geared to work outside the country. As unlike the Swahili saying ‘mcheza kwao hutunzwa’ they find it torturous to break ground in home markets. “It’s my first time performing as a solo artist on this festival; I’ve always wanted to have my music play here. This is a platform with international networks in music, where live music is played at international standards.”Emmanuel Mopao of ‘Mopao Swahili Jazz’ shares his enthusiasm at featuring in this festival.

Mamy Kanoute and seasoned Kora player Noumoucounda-Senegal photo
courtsey

Witnessing him first at a pre-concert show sponsored by the Goethe Institut at their residence in Dar es Salaam; then in Zanzibar at the festival; was to see a man in his element. Emma has over 13 years experience playing live music circuits in Tanzania. Last year he launched his own album Taswira MopaoSwahiliJazz About in a genre he calls ‘Swahili Jazz’ his set is unique in that on stage he is the man with the lead electric guitar not the lead singer.  To a full house in Zanzibar he had the crowd begging for more, we were honestly hypnotized by his music.

It was wise words from Carola Kinasha the MC for the pre-concert show at the Goethe Institut that had me inspired to write this article. Herself a musician and an MC for the festival for over 7 years, she told us that presently that there are over 25 Tanzanian music instruments, which aren’t played or known in mainstream music platformsCarola KInasha mkereketwa wa haki za Wasanii TZ.

Emma Mopao (Hat with Guitar) and his band of Mopao Jazz
serenadinga  full house at the Ampi Theatre in ZNZ inside
the festival

You see back in 1987-1989 she participated in a research spearheaded by independent musicians from different bands/groups of the time. Including John Kitime, David Marama, Teddy Mbarasa, Abraham Kapinga (Tanzanite) and herself, the project was called ‘Watafiti’ sponsored by the Netherlands Embassy.

“You remember when ‘yeke yeke’ came out it was a popular song; they used the Kora but it became an international hit. This was the era of Miriam Makheba, Manou Gallo looking back we as (Tanzanian) musicians had few options; we either played in a hotel or joined the ‘dance music circuit’. These music icons inspired us to find other options.” Carola ascertains.

Thais Diarra at Sauti za Busara 2020 photo by Rashde Fidgo

Watafiti had them travelling to many regions of Tanzania finding unknown music instruments from various tribes. Some have since stopped being made, “In Kigoma region we were told of a very heavy drum used as well to gather villagers now it’s not made any more…we finally went to Zimbabwe where we met Mtukudzi back then he wasn’t known...” Carola revealed the project manifested an album that went on to strengthen careers of legendary bands in Tanzania like TatuNane. She as well told us their research revealed that Dodoma was the region with the most instruments, sharing that they have enough instruments to qualify for an orchestra.

We saw a slice of this when Sinaubi Zawose & the Spirit group stepped on stage, the band had only the drum-set as a foreign instrument the rest to include Zeze Kubwa. A Kora like instrument were all native to East Africa, their music had the audience quickly looping in mduara fashion. Inhibitions were shed as different races, tribes & nationalities found connection to song. Sinaubi Zawose Sauti za Busara 2020.

Sinaubi Zawose & his band shining light on TZ
indigienous instruments by Rashde Fidigo

They were other acts in this festival that had that humbling sound, dating millennia on the continent in their use of several traditional African instruments. Among them was Mamy Kanoute, a seasoned musician from Senegal; she was among the artists featured in the movie Black Panther’s soundtrack with Baaba Maal. She has toured with Baaba for many years, as well performing with big artists like Youssou N’dour. Mamy Kanoute bio

“I have been singing since I was six years old, I am from a big griot family. It’s though I never learned music for I was born into it, it’s in my blood.” Mamy Kanoute 36, tells me in French with her co-star from Senegal Thaïs Diarra translating. Mamy Kanoute’s performance at the festival was lilting, her sound has that West African signature but her female vocals set her apart, she has a pair of pipes that will grip you the minute she opens her mouth.

She had this to say of the movement of contemporary African music worldwide “In Senegal musicians are respected for playing traditional music; I would advice other African musicians to stay true to their roots. You can make some fusion but remember where you’re from. I look up to musicians like Youssou N’dour, Cheikh Lô, Salif Keita they are taking traditional music from Africa but making it modern…”

In another pre-concert event to the festival sponsored by the Alliance Francais in Dar es Salaam. I witnessed Thaïs Diarra & Noumoucounda both share Senegalese roots but Thaïs is as well from Mali. Thais & Noumoucounda on stage Their performance together was special; Noumoucounda is a beast on the Kora. The two were part of a workshop inviting other Tanzanian artists working with traditional music instruments to include Wamwiduka Band. It was here that Noumoucounda’s prowess with the Kora shone, he blended that instrument to Afro-Pop, Afro-Reggae and Afro Soul with such ease it was uncanny.

Mopao Swahili Jazz doing their thing at this years festival

There were other musicians that lit the stage including Kenya’s own Ambassa Mandela & the Last Tribe Ambasa Mandela info. Their stage presence led by Ambassa just gripped you from go, their music with slews of Afro-Rock was refreshing. Where Ambassa’s conscious lyrics bonded strangers, rendering meat to the meaning of the festival’s name- Sounds of Wisdom.

Another musician that shone in this festival was Chudo, a percussionist with Ze Spirit Band of Bagamoyo. On this festival he performed for other acts to include Mopao Jazz, Mamy Kanoute and two others. His cuts on the Djembe accompanied by the Mtonya drum from East Africa (Tanzania/Mozambique) had the crowd ablaze in his solos.

Ambasa Mandela at Sauti za Busara 2020 photo by March Ngotonie

This year the festival pulled up to 8,000 people each day from the 13^th-16^th of Feb, this from across Africa and several continents. With live musicians representing Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Mali, Morocco, Algeria, and Mauritius.

Speaking with the festival director on the responsibility the festival is shouldering of highlighting live authentic East African musicians. “This is partly why this year we had the theme ‘love live music’…I travel a lot and I think this is a problem not just in Tanzania but across the continent. The music that is continuously on rotation on most platforms in Tanzania is so narrow in scope. And the stakeholders here will claim to be giving people what they want. Well Sauti za Busara is showing that actually they’re not. They are not representing what people want, just continuing the status quo…“Yusuf Mahmoud -Festival Director.

Member of Sinaubi Zawose's band at Sauti za Busara photo by Rashde Fidgo

To further stamp his point he shared that despite the lack of a big headlining artist for this year’s festival; still the numbers proved sufficient interest thanks to the location & hospitality of the Zanzibarian people as well “I think there’s an awareness amongst Tanzanians, Kenyans, South Africans and International visitors, they’ve come to trust that ok, they may not have heard of many of the artists in the lineup but they know they’re going to see some real gems…”

True to form the festival is spear heading a new generation of live East African musicians like Siti & The Band, Apio Moro, Wakazi, Mapanya Band all who featured this year and have an inspiring body of work. For more information on these artists visit the festival’s website http://www.busaramusic.org

This article was first published in The East African Newspaper with this link https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/magazine/Sauti-za-Busara-authentically-East-African/434746-5481326-gowy4hz/index.html