Zanzibar’s “Sauti za Busara,” a Swahili term defining “sounds of wisdom” is a well known annual festival with a musical and euphonious difference of sound. Since it’s one of Africa’s greatest music festivals, it is, without shame or embarrassment, noncommercial. A majority of the African festivals feature stars performing American influenced commercial music—whether it be hip-hop, pop, or r&b. Just as how “Sauti za Busara” supports the diversity in other forms of traditional African music, many of these genres are on the brink of extinction due to the supremacy of popular Western music on the radio in Eastern Africa.

For nearly a decade, Sauti za Busara’s individuality and creativity have drawn thousands of visitors—both international and local—to the island of Zanzibar every February. The musical menu of Zanzibar provides anything from east African giants of classic taarab, the late Bi Kidude, to young innovators in the Western Africa jali tradition such as Dawda Jobarteh. However, this February, there were no music festival, no international and local gatherings, and no Sauti za Busara. Falling behind the fundraising ideas and goals of 2016, Busara Promotions, the non-profit organization behind the planning and management of the festival, was forced to cancel the event.

Like multiple African non-profit organizations, Busara Promotions partially relies on foreign funding to carry out the operations meant for this festival. As international donors, embassies, and commercial sponsors provide most of the remaining support, ticket sales only cover 30% of its revenue. Because much of donations did not arrive this year, Busara Promotions CEO Yusak Mahmoud attributes the failure to a large number of factors, like the end of a three-year grant from the international donor Hivos. The ironic effect and consequence of Sauti za Busara’s rising fame as an international festival is that donors believed their money was no longer needed because it was so well attended every year.

The only African donor listed among the top ten donors is the African Development Bank, a bank that is largely supported and funded by non-African funding. Busara Promotions is on the same page of reliance on foreign donor funding, so when it was cut, the festival was over. Although the reason for the general lack of support is unclear, the absence of a robust and enforced taxation system used for civic initiatives may be the cause. Just like many other donors, benefiting government agencies and local businesses feel as though the Sauti za Busara festival is generating tourism and fame revenue already, so it is unnecessary for them to contribute.

Zanzibar’s music festival and Busara Promotions isn’t the only African arts program facing this dilemma. Non-profit organization Nairobi, (Ketebul Music), finds itself in a similar position of fading away. Through documentary films, albums created by Kenyan artists, and diverse ethnic music traditions, Ketebul Music successfully blends local and global genres together.

The arts play an important and powerful role in shaping the culture of nearly every society. With the limited local support, these independent and unique African arts organizations are forced to rely on inconsistent and ragged global funding streams, paving way for more Western-influenced music to be spread throughout Africa.