Tanzania Music Awards return after six-year hiatus

Tanzania Music Awards is returning this year (2022) to recognizing and promoting artiste after a six-year hiatus.

Last held in 2015, Tanzania Music Awards - then-known as the ‘Kilimanjaro Music Awards’ or ‘Kili Music Awards’ - have been sorely missed.

Tanzania’s National Arts Council, known by  (Basata) is all set and determined to bring back the country’s once upon a time prestigious music awards by end of March, 2022.

Basata says the new edition of the music awards will be totally different but better compared the old days with the last event held in 2015 at Mlimani City.

According to BASATA, this year’s edition will have additional categories specifically created for International artistes.

Speaking to The Beat, organizers Executive Secretary Matiko Mniko hinted that for the first time, Tanzania Music Awards will award international acts from other countries including Kenya, Uganga, Nigeria, South Africa and others just like other country’s music awards.

“In the coming music awards, we are expected to have awards that will features international artistes, as other international awards do such as BET, AFRIMA. So we will have categories specifically for Tanzanian artistes, others for international collaborations and categories for the international artistes only” says Mr Mniko

It is clearly the industry needs these awards, the national art Council is dedicated to bring back the encouragement for the music talents who strives to create good music that entertains and showcase their unrelenting zeal both locally and internationally.

“We will bring international artistes onboard for these awards because it will help us promote the Tanzania Music Awards beyond out boarders and make our music breakthrough to international grounds,” adds Mr Matiko

The council has already created a special committee which is in the final stages of preparing categories including additional ones for international acts.

“The committee which is in the final stage will tell the public details on the voting processes and qualification for artistes’ nominations in each category”, says Matiko.

Six years ago, the Kilimanjaro Music Awards was one of many music centric that doled out awards and provided them equally because artiste were battling to make sure that they participate fully on their music career.

For those who don’t know the history, Tanzania Music awards was introduced in 1999 and they survived for 16 years, but those sixteen year were one of the biggest in entertainment history, because we were able to see how our government supports all the music genres that are produced in our country.

With more than twenty categories, there were a lot of dramas that were quite mouth-watering which accompanied the event, am talking about the speeches that were made and speeches that were created, before the age of social media.

While we are waiting for the official announcement of the awards this January, I am expecting that, the event will be the same as it used to be, same energy were even the beefing between artistes, am talking beefs of developments in there career.

I think the returning of the Tanzania Music Awards will bring challenges to our artistes, there are some who did great locally, but they didn’t get the platform to reach internationally.

So, Awards will help the artistes to shine so other international markets would know them very well, because it’s not possible for other artiste to promote their music internationally and that’s why many artiste choose to be locally.

Thanks to Boom play, they have managed to bring back the honor of our artiste, money they received from YouTube and Shows were not enough, so I am guessing that the awards will have special categories for artiste who have good streaming numbers.

Bringing back the awards will help new generation artiste to live the memories of their stars, because now will have the chance to showcase how creative they are when it comes to the local market of Bongo flava industry.

Speaking with Mussa Saliboko, music fan pleased with BASATA’s move says, “Now days there are numbers of artiste that don’t provide much when it comes to music and their given recognitions which they don’t deserve, so to have our own music awards will filter lots of fake ones, and will enable artiste to be creatives”

New generation artiste in all genres of music, have been waiting to know how the Awards will have after being quiet for all those years, Manengo who is new generation of Hip-hop artiste says that, it’s time to create new legends.

“I think now it’s time to create new legends, the same as these awards used to create those days, am talking about 20 Percent, Marlaw, Cpwaa, Bwana Misosi and Lady Jaydee” says Manengo.

I think it’s time again for people to add in their profile what they have achieved instead of zero attraction bio, this means that, the moment where many people have been waiting is around the corner.

This March, history is going to be written again in the music industry, here am talking about the best music video directors, music producers, writers, and lots.

While many believe that, in every award there are some people dealing with making other people win without voting, According to Matiko, this year will be totally different because they won’t allow it.