Sauti za Busara Music Festival is a six-day cultural extravaganza held annually in Zanzibar during February. The main aim of Sauti za Busara (Sounds of Wisdom) is to bring people together in celebration of the wealth and diversity of Swahili music. The majority of groups participating are from the East African region, with some visiting artists from other countries. A rich and vibrant mix of styles is showcased each year, including traditional ngoma, taarab, kidumbak, mchiriku, rumba, “muziki wa dansi”, Swahili hiphop “bongo flava”, mystic and religious music, theatre, comedy and dance. The main festival venue is Stone Town’s historic Old Fort, with special events also taking place in villages and coastal venues around the island. Immensely popular with Tanzanians as well as visitors to the region, Sauti za Busara attracts around four thousand people per day and has firmly established itself as an unmissable event on the African cultural calendar. Furthermore it is fast gaining international repute as “the friendliest festival on Planet Earth”. (Daily News, Tanzania) For artists interested to participate in the 2007 festival, we need to receive your applications at the office of Busara Promotions (address below) before end of August. Applications must include at least one recent recording (audio and/or video) and biography information. For artists performing in the festival or participating in workshops, the festival provides modest artists fees and covers all expenses in Zanzibar, including local travel, accommodation, food and other incidentals. Artists from outside East Africa (other than specially invited headline groups) will usually have to find their own travel sponsors. The selection committee will review all applications during September and will contact successful applicants directly. Details of the festival line-up and programme will be published and updated regularly on our website www.busaramusic.com from October 2006. Do feel free to contact us in case of any questions. Yusuf Mahmoud, Director Busara Promotions, PO Box 3635, Zanzibar, Tanzania Tel: +255 24 223 2423 or +255 777 428 478; Fax: +44 870 132 1190 email: busara@zanlink.com web: www.busaramusic.com