Tanzania: Mtwara Festival to Raise Southern TZ Profile

Dar es Salaam — The first ever annual Mtwara Festival which is due in September is expected to stimulate tourism and economic opportunities in the southern part of Tanzania.

The southern part of Tanzania is rich in natural gas and tourism opportunities. Most of the natural gas discoveries have been made in Mtwara's offshore and onshore.

Tanzania Premier Mizengo Pinda is expected to officiate the festival.

This means rhythm, music, arts and culinary flavors are coming to the city of Mtwara to mark the first ever annual Mtwara Festival which will run from August 16-17, 2014 at the Nangwanda Sijaona Stadium in Mtwara.

This year's theme 'Fursa Zimefunguka, Tuzitambue, Tujiandae, Tuzichangamkie,' which means Mtwara and Lindi opportunities have opened up; let's identify them for exploitation.

The Mtwara Festival is borne out of the collaboration between Tanzania Creative Industries Network (TACIN) and Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC).

It is supported by Tanzanian Tourism Board (TTB), as their strategy to attract visitors and create tourism and economic opportunities to this former deep-water port region.

The Mtwara Festival is a communication strategy and platform from which the community will learn about abundant opportunities around them, as well as enhance their pride through the promotion of Mtwara and Lindi as places to visit, live, work and do business.

"Mtwara and Lindi are both coastal regions with pristine beaches and abundant wealth of history, culture and creativity, which, through this Festival, will attract more foreigners, stimulating tourism in these two communities," the TACIN's Executive Chairman, Anic Kashasha said.

He said the recent discovery in 2012 of natural gas in Mtwara and Linidi will also contribute to the economic development in these regions as it will create more opportunities for job creation and income generation by linking the gas economy with the local economy.

Mtwara for many years has been seldom touched by the outside world and reasons for its late development may be traced all the way to the colonial era when the Germans and Portuguese needed a buffer zone and used the Ruvuma River as a border.