Zanzibar Island : Beach Luxury Travel and African Cultural Tours
Although Zanzibar is recognized internationally as a land of romance, the archipelago is also a premier cultural safari destination in East Africa. Cultural safaris to Zanzibar cover important areas around this island including the streets of the old stone town, the house of wonders, peoples palace, Dr Livingstones house and the Arab fort among others.
The archipelago and its people have their own unique history and culture, influenced by the traders and invaders over the centuries; from the Portuguese, Omani Arabs to English. The result of this fusion of different ethnic groups has resulted in interesting cultural events such as Sauti za Busara, Zanzibar International Film Festival and Mwaka Kogwa ” the celebration of the Persian New Year.
Sauti za busara festivals, literally meaning sounds of wisdom, are held every February in Zanzibar stone town’s old fort. The event is arguably the best music event in Swahili speaking East Africa. During the festivals, Stone Town’s old fort comes very much alive. Performers at the event include taarab artists, bongo flava (a very popular East African music genre)stars, drumming troupes, and ngoma dancers.
Apart from just being very popular with the local population, Sauti za Busara is also one of the key highlights of Zanzibar’s bid to market itself as a top destination for cultural tourism. Many international visitors attend the event, which also gives the local artists a rare chance to interact with each other and exchange ideas, learn new things, and try out their creativity. During the sixth edition of the event, held from 12th to 17th February 2009, performing artists came from various parts of the world including Europe, Australia, and West Africa.
The other cultural event in Zanzibar is the Zanzibar international film festival (ZIFF), held every July. It is the largest cultural festival in East Africa, presenting an amazing variety of international music and dance, art exhibitions, theater arts, film and video. The film festival had its 10th anniversary in 2007.
Every year, the crowd that attends ZIFF gets bigger and bigger as its international reputation grows. The festival presents a unique chance to promote cultural understanding of Indian ocean dhow countries of Tanzania, Oman and India.
It is in the village of Makunduchi that another major cultural festival is held, that is the celebration of the Persian new year. Mwaka Kogwa festivities are colorful and full of pomp, fun, and rituals. Men participate in mock fights conducted with banana stems while women dress in their best attire and sing love songs, and songs about family and life in general. The mock fights signify doing away with any past disputes.
The highlight of the Mwaka Kogwa festival is the traditional burning of a hut – said to signify the passing of the old year and the start of the new. This ritual is thought to ensure the safety of the village in case of fire during the year and to purge evil from the people and the land. After the fire and fighting there is song, dance, drumming and feasting. Hospitality is extended to all people as the locals believe that any villager without a guest will be the recipient of bad luck and the party goes on till dawn.
As a result of the mentioned cultural events, Zanzibar Island has gained international fame as a center for African culture. Visitors to Zanzibar can get there by sea and by air. Some of the international airlines that operate scheduled flights to Zanzibar include Ethiopian Airlines, KLM (in partnership with Kenya Airways), Gulf Air, and Air Mauritius. Scheduled and domestic flights from Dar es Salaam are also available. From Dar es Salaam, visitors can also take a short boat trip to Zanzibar.
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