Is a ‘Tanzanian Netflix’ feasible?

There have been calls – not least by Information, Culture, Arts and Sports minister Innocent Bashungwa – that Tanzania should use its homegrown tech expertise to produce something akin to Netflix.

Briefly, California-based Netflix is a subscription-based streaming service that enables members to watch TV shows and movies without commercials on an internet-connected device.

On the face of it, this is not a bad idea – although some people may not agree with it, because they believe that there are more important issues (other than mere technical platforms) that crave for the minister’s attention.

Let’s take the Multichoice, for example. Started in South Africa – and established in Tanzania in 1997 – Multichoice has become a continental powerhouse in delivering content to millions of African homes. Key to its platform is its diversity and a wide breadth of content that considers cultures, traditions, languages and creative nous.

One could say the same of its sister company SuperSport which has made sports content the raison d’etre of its existence. If we go by those two South African content carriers, you can understand the angst of content producers in Tanzania, when the minister’s statement seems to suggest that a carrier platform is the sector’s priority need.

To be fair, that is NOT what Mr Bashungwa said.

Among the many challenges that the creative sector in Tanzania and some other East African countries face include regulatory bottlenecks. Again, let’s take the example of long-standing musical archivist John Kitime of the JFK Band.

For some years now, MrKitime has been using his YouTube channel to conduct interviews that are a good source of information on the history of music in Eastern Africa. This and his various online platforms are not political channels with anti-government or pro-CCM views.

Kitime has concentrated on doing what government ought to do: curate music – not just Tanzanian, but East African and African music – in a way that future generations will understand where they came from, and whence we were headed.

The matter of Sanaa-Arts in schools needs to be revisited. That was removed from our curriculum years ago – and, hence, all our musicians, actors, creative geniuses are homegrown these days.

When regulations require such a content creator to pay Sh1 million as licensing fee, we are creating an environment where gluttony for public revenues is strangulating creativity.

Let’s take yet another example. Nigeria and South Africa are two countries where content is country-specific on the continental SuperSport platform. In the Nigerian case, it was not a question of watunduwa IT (colloquial for IT geniuses); it was a matter of understanding of laws, international negotiations – and the power of knowledge.

The challenge we seem to have is that public officials – including government ministers and permanent secretaries, among others – take it for granted that, as holders of those official positions, they know what is best for their operational sectors.

This explains why, as soon as ministers are sworn into Office, they come up with highfalutin – and sometimes controversial – statements that usually do not take into consideration the views and opinions of other stakeholders.

Musician Kitime says this also explains why not much that is developmental – or otherwise positive – was achieved under the two immediate-past ministers for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports.

As soon as some leaders are confirmed in public office, “they release statements which suggest that they are performing. It is almost always the case that those of us in the field have no idea what bedevils the industry.”

The point here is not to disagree with MrBashungwa... No, Sir! The idea here is to contribute to a positive infusion of ideas.

In the ‘Ubunifu Report’ three years ago from a study in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania that was funded by Hivos East Africa, passion, talent and innovation were identified as having been key in areas where relative success had been achieved.

If we want to create more jobs for our youth, both tariff and non-tariff barriers in the creative sectors in Tanzania must be reduced or removed if meaningful progress is to be made.