What are the top 5 festivals in Tanzania?
Tanzania is not only famous for its magnificent wildlife safaris and Mount Kilimanjaro, but it is also known because of its great cultural heritage through colorful festivals. Whether it is music, film, food or ancient traditions, the festivals happening in Tanzania can give the traveler an in-depth look at the soul of the country. Here are the top 5 festivals in Tanzania that you should not miss.
1. Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF)
The Zanzibar International Film Festival, the largest cultural event in East Africa, is celebrated in Stone Town, Zanzibar on a yearly basis. Also known as the Festival of the Dhow Countries, ZIFF features a wide variety of films from Africa, the Middle East, the Indian Ocean region, and beyond
The festival takes nine days, contains screenings, panel discussions, as well as music concerts, art exhibitions, and workshops. It is not only a paradise of a film lover; it is a cultural festival that takes place and draws international filmmakers, tourists, and local creatives. It is organized annually in July and provides a mix of Swahili culture, cinema, and international narrating.
2. Sauti za Busara
Sauti za Busara, translated Sound of Wisdom, is a four-day music festival that is also hosted in Stone Town, Zanzibar, every February. The festival is famous in promoting African music as live music is performed by talented musicians across the continent.
It is staged in the ancient Old Fort and involves a street parade, traditional dancers and jam sessions. The most remarkable thing about this festival is that it is based on the live music of Africa (with no playback allowed, encouraging artists to express their culture authentically through live music). Both tourists and locals can unite and enjoy this dance under the stars with the background African rhythms.
3. Bagamoyo Arts Festival
The Bagamoyo Arts Festival is held in October in the coastal town of Bagamoyo, which has historical significance in the East African slave trade and rich Swahili culture. The Bagamoyo College of Arts hosts the festival and attracts performers both in Tanzania and other regions of the world.
Other activities involve live music, acrobatics, dance, drama, visual arts and traditional story telling. It is a bright festival in which the ancient sea ways mix with the contemporary art. It is also educational and enjoyable since scholars are in a position to visit historical places as they visit the performance sites.
4. Nane Nane Agricultural Festival
Nane Nane, meaning “eight eight” in Swahili, is celebrated every year on August 8th. Today is the National Farmers Day in Tanzania in honor of the agricultural contribution to the economy of the country.
The festival which is hosted in different regions in the country (the big events being in Morogoro, Mbeya, and Dodoma) brings together innovations in farming, livestock keeping and agribusiness. While it is not a cultural or artistic festival in the traditional sense, Nane Nane remains one of Tanzania’s most significant national events, celebrating the backbone of its economy—agriculture.
5. Mwaka Kogwa Festival
Mwaka Kogwa is a traditional four day New Year festival of the town of Makunduchi in the southern part of Zanzibar. It is held in late July and has a very strong foundation in the Persian Shirazi traditions.
The festival features symbolic rituals, such as mock battles among men using banana stalks to resolve historical feuds and then accompanied by ancestral dances and feeding. Women dress in bright colored kanzu dresses and join in singing songs of love, peace, and community. Mwaka Kogwa is a spiritual and a celebratory event, where it is assumed that it cleanses the misfortunes of the past year and brings good fortune to the new one.
Final Thoughts
These festivals are not just about entertainment—they reflect Tanzania’s rich cultural diversity, but rather a cultural reflection of the diversity that Tanzania possesses. No matter what you have a passion for, be it arts, agriculture, music, or ancient tradition, there is a festival in Tanzania that can satisfy your curiosity. On your trip, you will be able to appreciate it more after attending one of those events because they confirm the unique rhythm of life in the country.
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