Veteran Taarab singer, Bi Kidude on Saturday snubbed the Busara festivals for malaria campaign gig in Dar es Salaam.

According to the schedule the evergreen diva was to perform with Tausi Women's Taarab, a group based in Unguja. However,on Friday afternoon the Malaria Campaign crew whisked her to Dar on a chartered. By the time Sauti za Busara organisers learnt that Bi Kidude was not going to perform it was too late as the songbird was already in Dar.

It was immediately not clear whether the singer was fulfilling contractual obligations elsewhere or she was acting out of national call. Organisers were heard having a heated conversation on phone with the Malaria Campaign organisers in Dar over the phone. "We had a rehearsal with her but we could not stop her from going because we were told that President Kikwete would grace the event so we had no option," said Mariam Hamdani, a group leader.

In an earlier interview with The Citizen, Bi Kidude had promised to quench her fans' thirst by giving a spirited perfomnace. Despite a great performance the group, Bi Kidude's gap was evident as the group struggles through some of her classics like 'Muhongo wa Jang'ombe'. Meanwhile in Dar es Salaam, her performance at the zinduka concert drew rapturous applause from the youthful crowd as she performed with Mwasiti.