The Zanzibar International Film Festival of the Dhow Countries has been running since 1998 and has grown to become an exciting and unique event in the East African region and on the African continent. It is primarily a film festival but the additional programmes which include music and performing arts, literature, visual arts, village, children and women's activities are also a big draw card for the festival audience of Zanzibari's and visitors alike.

It's an unforgettable experience to watch films surrounded by such history or to listen to music under the night's sky in venues such as these

What makes the Festival so unusual is that it draws together the creativity of the Gulf States, the Indian sub-continent, the African continent and the Indian Ocean islands under the theme of the dhow (the jahazi in Swahili) - the traditional boat that has been used by these maritime cultures to trade and travel from the beginning of time.

The Festival has worked hard over the years to create a professional event on a par with other international cultural events. Couple the high production standards with the cutting edge programme and the festival has become a must-see for visitors to Zanzibar and a must-do for filmmakers, musicians, performers, artists and other creative types. Whether you're a confirmed Afro-phile, or a beginner or just someone looking for a holiday destination with a difference the ZIFF Festival of the Dhow Countries ticks all the right boxes.

The 2004 line-up showed just how important the Festival has become - some big projects in the film industry were launched, including the East African Film Academy and a UNESCO funded initiative for Africa's animation industry, as well as the screening of over 100 films from the 'Dhow Region'.

The Music and Performing Arts programme was as impressive with big names from all over the world and all music genres including: Amal Murkus (Palestine), Selaelo Selota (South Africa), the Nubian Tambour (Egypt), Mercy Myra (Kenya), Jean Raymond Cudza (Mayotte), Step Afrika! (USA) and Siwela Sonke Dance Theatre (South Africa) to name but a few.

The tropical islands of Unguja and Pemba that make up Zanzibar lie just off the coast of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean -- a place renowned throughout the centuries for international trade and as the quintessential 'melting pot' of Africa, Arabia and India -- is seen as a paradise island of palm trees, pristine white beaches and has a romance and mystery that's almost tangible, and the ZIFF Festival of the Dhow Countries makes this more than the event's backdrop.

The main festival venues are in Stone Town and all of them fascinating to anyone interested in African history and culture. The venues include Ngome Kongwe (the Old Fort), which was built by the Omani Arab rulers in the 17th century as a fort on the site of a church built by the Portuguese in the 16th century. Another of the venues is Beit el-Ajaib (the House of Wonders), built by one of the Sultan rulers in the 19th century as a palace and was the first building in East Africa to have electricity. It's an unforgettable experience to watch films surrounded by such history or to listen to music under the night's sky in venues such as these.

All of the main venues are within walking distance if you're interested in the 'town' experience, but for more variety, a large part of the festival programme takes place out in the villages throughout the two islands and is open to anyone.

Please see our photo gallery of the festival

The ZIFF Festival of the Dhow Countries 2005 runs 1st-10th July 2005 - for more info go to: www.ziff.or.tz

Lydia is a freelance photographer and writer based in Tanzania www.lydiamartin.net

--Image is of setting up in the Mambo Club in Ngome Kongwe (the Old Fort) -- one of the main festival venues, copyright Lydia Martin--