TaSUBa, on Kaole Road
The national arts institution at Bagamoyo is the Taasisi ya Sanaa na Utamaduni Bagamoyo — the Bagamoyo Institute of Arts and Culture, universally abbreviated to TaSUBa. It is on Kaole Road, on the way out of town towards the Kaole ruins, and it is the reason Bagamoyo’s association with music, dance and sculpture is real rather than staged for visitors.
How it came to be there
The institution traces its origins to 1962, when a ministry of youth and culture was created for the first time in Tanganyika’s history. By 1972 the case for formal arts training had been made and the Bagamoyo College of Arts was founded. Between 2003 and 2005 the college was registered with the National Council for Technical Education and its curricula accredited. At the end of 2005 a decision was taken to convert it into a government executive agency, and TaSUBa was established on 2 November 2007 by Government Notice No. 220 under the Executive Agencies Act No. 30 of 1997. It sits under the Ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, and describes its remit as serving the East African Community’s member states in conserving and developing the performing and creative arts.
What is taught, and what that means for a visitor
The institute runs technician certificates and ordinary diplomas in performing and visual arts, in music and sound production, and in film and television production, alongside short courses in African dance and music, western music, acting, cinematography, stage technology, costume design, film editing, writing for film and stage, and graphic design.
That list matters because it sets expectations correctly. This is a working technical college with students, terms and examinations, not a performance venue that runs a nightly show. What is on when you happen to be in Bagamoyo depends entirely on the academic calendar. Its resident company, the Bagamoyo Players, was formed in 1990 under the institute and performs at festivals and national events rather than to a public timetable.
The festival
The Bagamoyo International Festival of Arts and Culture is held on the institute’s grounds and in its halls, and it is the one time of year when the town is reliably full of performance — traditional and contemporary music, dance, drama, acrobatics, comedy, poetry and exhibition, with artists invited from inside and outside Tanzania.
Do not assume it is an annual October fixture. The institute’s own published editions give the 43rd festival as 23 to 26 October 2024 and the 44th as 28 to 31 October 2026. There is no published edition between them. Dates and format are set by the institute and announced on its own channels; confirm directly before building a trip around it.
The wider subject of performance on this coast is in the guide to traditional music and dance, and the making side under craft workshops.
Common questions
Can you just turn up and watch?
It is a college campus. There is no public performance schedule. Ask at the institute or through your accommodation whether anything is on while you are there.
Is it the same as the Bagamoyo festival?
The festival is run by the institute and held on its grounds, so in practice yes. Out of festival season the campus is a teaching institution and nothing more.
Where exactly is it?
On Kaole Road, south of the old town, on the route to the Kaole ruins. Walking to Kaole takes you past it, which makes the two a natural pairing on a morning.