Afropop Worldwide’s Tours Offer More Than Just Safaris
U.S. travelers accounted for 63% of all safari visitors to Africa in 2022, with most heading directly to popular safari destinations. Upon arrival, the majority of American and European tourists disembark at airports like Kilimanjaro International, treating them as mere gateways to the wild, while bypassing vibrant cities like Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s cultural and commercial hub. This is a missed opportunity for those who could greatly enrich their experience by spending just a few days exploring the local urban culture and connecting with the people of East Africa.
In contrast, since 1997, the award-winning U.S.-based radio series Afropop Worldwide, hosted by Georges Collinet from Cameroon and nationally distributed since 1988, has been offering culturally immersive tours to Africa, including destinations like Tanzania, Senegal, Mali, Cape Verde, and Madagascar. These tours not only highlight the region’s vibrant music scene but also incorporate elements of eco and adventure tourism.
Sean Barlow, Executive Producer of Afropop Worldwide and creator of Afropop Tours, stated, “The core value of Afropop Tours lies in our deep connections with local artists and cultural industry professionals. These relationships allow us to offer our travelers unique, insider experiences that are simply not available to most. The loyalty of our repeat customers speaks to the success of this approach.”
Currently, Afropop Worldwide is focusing on Tanzania and Zanzibar. Their most recent tour in February 2024 brought 24 eager travelers on a journey that combined an in-depth exploration of Dar es Salaam’s vibrant music scene, attendance at the world-class three-day Sauti za Busara festival in Stone Town, Zanzibar, relaxing beach time in northern Zanzibar, and an optional safari to the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Lake Manyara parks.
Immersive Encounters in Dar es Salaam
In Dar es Salaam, Afropop travelers were treated to an array of outstanding performances, including Swahili rumba—featuring classic 12-piece dance bands known as musiki wa dansi—modern taarab orchestras with deep Arabic influences, lively gospel music and dance at a Sunday morning church service, and the electrifying singeli, a genre of electronic youth music sweeping the nation. To deepen the cultural experience, artists and cultural creatives were invited to join the group for dinners, allowing travelers to engage in direct conversations with some of Dar’s most influential figures. Many participants appreciated the fact that they encountered so few foreign tourists, making their experience feel authentically local.
The musical guide in Dar was the accomplished guitarist, composer, broadcaster, and music historian John Kitime, who seemed to have connections with everyone in the city’s vibrant music scene. The tour was expertly managed by their local partner, Takims Holidays.
The Sauti za Busara annual music festival, held each February, offers an expertly curated lineup across two stages in the historic Old Fort at the heart of Stone Town, Zanzibar. Afropop Worldwide has been covering this vibrant festival since its inaugural edition in 2004. In 2024, the festival showcased a diverse array of talent, featuring several Tanzanian artists alongside performers from Congo, Zimbabwe, Kenya, the Indian Ocean, South Africa, and Nigeria. The headline act was Made Kuti, grandson of the legendary Fela Kuti. True to its commitment to authenticity, the festival maintains a strict 100% live performance policy, with no playback allowed. Additionally, Sauti za Busara is known for its strong representation of women-led bands. The festival drew a mixed audience, with approximately half being locals and the other half international visitors.
Afropop travelers were treated to an exclusive private performance in Stone Town by the local Culture Music Club at their clubhouse. The ensemble played traditional taarab music, featuring instruments like the Arabic oud and qanoun, along with violins, accordion, and stand-up bass. The second part of the concert showcased kidumbak, a lively, dance-oriented street version of taarab.
Following an intense, non-stop week in Dar es Salaam and before diving into the Sauti za Busara festival, which runs from 4 PM to 1 AM, Afropop travelers enjoyed some much-needed relaxation at Kendwa Rocks Beach Resort in northern Zanzibar. This resort was specifically chosen for its unique beach, where unlike many other shallow beaches in Zanzibar that are only swimmable at high tide, you can swim at any time. Excursions from this resort included a must-visit to a spice farm, where travelers participated in preparing lunch, and a breathtaking sunset sail on a traditional dhow.
After the Sauti za Busara festival, most Afropop travelers chose to fly to Arusha to embark on a five-day safari through Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Lake Manyara parks. During the safari, they had close encounters with iconic wildlife, including giraffes, elephants, antelopes, zebras, wildebeests, pink flamingos, and the unforgettable sight of lions mating.
Sean Barlow remarked, “While our primary focus for Afropop Tours is always on music, culture, and connecting with local people, we believe that offering the unique, magical experience of an African safari is a must for travelers coming all the way from North America. It’s something people absolutely love.”
The African safari industry deserves credit for employing thousands of people, bringing in much-needed foreign exchange to countries like Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, Botswana, and others, and for promoting Africa as a highly attractive destination, even if the focus tends to be more on wildlife than on people and culture.
Join the 2025 Encore Tour of Tanzania and Zanzibar: Limited Spots Available
Afropop Worldwide is set to offer an encore tour of Tanzania and Zanzibar from February 4-18, 2025, following the same successful itinerary as the 2024 program, including an optional safari. With only a few spots remaining, those interested are encouraged to act quickly. An informational Zoom session will be held on Thursday, September 5, at 8:30 pm EDT (UTC -4) to answer any questions. For more details or to join the Zoom session, please contact info@afropop.org.
Find more tour details in the Afropop TZ brochure
To give you a taste of the experiences from Afropop travelers in Tanzania in 2024:
Here’s what some of the 2024 participants had to say:
- Sam Sirkin from Oregon: “The Afropop team took us on a mind-blowing unparalleled journey into music, culture, history, and adventure!”
- Marjorie from New York City: “I especially appreciated the part of the trip that included Dar. That’s where we got to commune with the locals and enjoy the local flavor—the music, the food, and seeing different parts of the city where we saw how people lived and how they go about their everyday life.”
- Susan from New York: “I went as an African music neophyte. The week we spent in Dar es Salaam was fantastic. We experienced some five major types of music in various venues. We were usually the only foreigners anyplace. Our local music guide was a lovely man who was so open to talking with you about anything and you could talk to him individually.”
- Jenny from Chicago: “This was my first trip to Africa. I went alone because my husband could not make it. Tanzania is a very friendly country and for me, one of the highlights was dancing along with the local bands. It truly exceeded all my expectations. I can’t recommend it highly enough. It was really a beautiful trip.”