Ziff, Festival Of The Dhow Countries. [June-July] P.O. Box 3032, Zanzibar, Tanzania. Tel: 00 255 (40 747 411499. The annual Festival Of The Dhow Countries in Zanzibar was established in 1997 as THE ZANZIBAR International Film Festival and is now considered East Africa's premier cultural event. The festival brings together the cultures from all over Africa, the Gulf States, Iran, the Indian sub-continent and the islands of the Ocean itself, collectively known as the Dhow countries. Taking the wind powered dhow as its emblem, the festival concentrates on bringing the best of cinema, world music, performing and visual arts to the islands of Zanzibar. Providing a platform for women's and children's issues and concerns to be aired and discussed alongside film industry seminars and workshops, the festival also hosts mini-festivals in villages all over the Zanzibar islands of Unguja and Pemba.