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Swahili Peoples Arts & Cultural FestivalTanga,Tanzania • August 8 - 11, 2008Culture is often associated with human activities, involving music, dance, theatre, and poetry.As for the Swahili peoples, culture means the total and distinctive way of their life, of which music; dance, theatre and poetry are but a part, perhaps a small part. It includes their history and traditions, its past and therefore its future. It also includes the economy, which is embedded in their distinctive way of life. It is important to study the Swahili way of life, where we have come from and how, so that we can understand, respect and nurture our culture. We must highlight that, it is not merely a collection of antique buildings that need preservation. More importantly, it is the sum total of our way of life, that also needs to be protected and nurtured. This is particularly important at the present time, when the long period of neglect and decay of our culture is now followed by feverish development of tourism to earn the tourist dollar, easily destroying our traditions and its fragile Swahili culture. We believe that responsible tourism can contribute to the regeneration of the Swahili dwellings. We need to have a clear objective and decide between the dollar or our culture, if we have to choose between the two. The multi-cultural society The Swahili peoples live mostly within the coastal strip from Barawa in Somalia to Sofala in Mozambique; inclusive of course the exotic islands of Zanzibar, Pemba, Comoros and the Madagascar. It has never been an isolated enclave, but rather has grown in the crucible of intense inter-cultural relations across the Indian Ocean for centuries. It has therefore had a very dynamic cosmopolitan culture at the intersection between Africa and the world of the Indian Ocean. This does not mean that there is a single homogeneous Swahili culture, but a culture that has accepted difference as part of the norm of the society instead of imposing a single monolithic vision. This was not a paradise on earth. Our history has its murky corners, like any other peoples, and we have to live with them and cleanse them so that they do not poison the present. Slavery is one of them, and another is the colonial policy of divide and rule based on ethnic differences that went contrary to the Swahili tendency towards cultural homogenisation. We have to deal with all of their lingering consequences. Swahili peoples have grown up in a multi-religious arena where Muslims, Hindus, Zoroastrians, Buddhists, and Christians have been constantly interacting with those practicing traditional beliefs from the African interior. But they have been doing so in a fairly relaxed tolerant atmosphere of the maritime and mercantile world of the Indian Ocean.Despite the fact that the earlier rulers belonged to a puritanical sect of Islam, Hindus and Christians were allowed to build their places of worship since the nineteenth century without hindrance.We have had other civil conflicts within the region,but until recently never a religious one. The multi-cultural and multi-religious tendencies of Swahili culture are an important part of our cultural heritage that need to be nurtured in an atmosphere of tolerance, nay, even celebration of our diversity. People who have grown up within a particular culture often take the most obvious for granted but visitors may be baffled by the diversity. Why Swahili Peoples Arts&Cultural Festival?(SPA&CF) The SPA&CF will raise awareness between both visitors and communities, especially school children as a way of educating them visually and entertainingly considering cultural development an integral part of economic development. To alleviate Poverty by:
Coming as it did at that moment, TheSPA&CF is a vindication not only of the thesis that culture is a vital part of development, but also how sustainable development can come about. It cannot be on the basis of handouts or top-down advice by foreign consultants who may not know as much about our culture; but rather on the basis of self-reliance and partnership, as we learnt through bitter experience. TheSPA&CF is very reassuring and encouraging that we are on the right track. We hope TheSPA&CF will continue to motivate the Swahili Communities to persevere in all our endeavours. TheSPACuFe activities will be implemented in joint partnership between the governments, representatives from civil societies and the Swahili communities of Tanga and their greater East African Swahili speaking neighbours from Kenya, Uganda, Congo, Burundi, Mozambique and Ruanda joining us in festivities, encouraging cultural exchange and pride in our united heritage. The overall theme of TheSPACuFe is 'connecting communities'. It is designed to provide an exchange of accumulated experience and skills on Swahili culture through sharing knowledge gained in the course of cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue in the context of globalization. TheSPACuFe will feature: 1. The SPACuFeCenter – Exhibition / Maonyesho 2.International Symposium / Kongamano La Kimataifa 3.Cultural Events and Performances / Maonesho These will attract the presence of the media and through them, the attention of the millions of people who comprise the region. SPA&CF Volunteer Placement Volunteer opportunities listed below, each team needs leaders, skilled workers and staff assistants.
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