The 10 Best African Music Festivals

Original Story Published by: Staff Writer for Okay Africa 
Photo Source: ©OkayAfrica

(Above) Seun Kuti at Felabration. 

Here are ten of the best music festivals to experience across the African continent, including both established stages and newer productions.

African music, in all its genres and forms, has one of the largest congregations in the world, with millions of people both on the continent and in the diaspora celebrating their love and connection to their culture through sound. Despite the rapid digitization of our music consumption through the internet and streaming services, nothing will ever beat the experience of live music. 

Music festivals have become a great inlet into the arts and cultures of the societies that host them, while offering great potential to local economies and countless business opportunities for African artists to grown their brands. Yet this pivotal part of the music experience on the continent is never really prioritized, despite the vast number of festival with diverse genres available all year round, all over Africa.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

We were really #UnitedinMusic the music lovers from different angle of the world joined us celebrating #AfricanMusicUnderAfricanSky at #SzB2018 on stage the guy from Morocco (Ribab Fusion) expressing their identity 🙂

A post shared by Sauti za Busara (@sautizabusara) on Mar 20, 2018 at 6:33am PDT

"African sounds of wisdom" whistle through the air every February when Sauti Za Busara takes places in Zanzibar. Since 2003, the East African festival with 100% live music has prioritized a curated set that highlights culturally significant music, while drawing attention to the diverse range of genres existing in the middle belt of the African continent and beyond. Sauti za Busara has become a major networking and learning destination for artists as well as promoters, A&Rs; and other music industry personnel as it provides a chance to witness the best East Africa has to offer while enjoying the scenic views of Stone Town, Zanzibar. The festival has also moved towards various capacity building sessions and workshops which provide a platform for knowledge sharing among music professionals from all over the world who make the pilgrimage. In 2019, over four days and nights, the festival is expected to program 400 musical acts and host about 20,000 people.

To read the full article, visit Okay Africa.