TOUGH JUSTICE : When Tanzanian artistes stand up to be counted

As the nation was going through political turbulence in the past few weeks, art positioned itself at the very centre of the scene. Inspired by a series of well-known events, almost every artiste was forced to take part in discussions about how the nation is governed.
This took me back to the first piece I wrote about our art, specifically discussing how Bongo fleva is promoting irresponsible sexual behaviour. This piece did ruffle a few feathers, mostly from people who thought it was too harsh on our music.

While I still stand by my choice to dish out some tough love, the reaction I received helped me understand just how much we revere our music, and this proves to be a key insight in discussing art’s changing face in the turbulent political times.
What sparked all of this? First it was the perceived attack on art itself. When artistes formed a big part of those linked with illicit drugs, the industry was forced to turn their attention towards this issue, and it was impossible to view it apolitically.

Faced with a tough dilemma, as I wrote in a January edition of this paper, it was tough this time for musicians to continue to pursue commercial interests over the need for conscious content, because this time they themselves had everything to lose.
The idea that our art only takes an interest in political events only when they are threatened is troubling, yet it was still encouraging to see artistes reacting strongly. When one of the biggest social media stars switches political camp after being oppressed by a regime she helped put in power, one has to applaud her agency, but question her motives.
Unfortunately, political affiliation should take a different form from the animosities we see in entertainment—such as TeamKiba versus TeamDiamond. It should be inspired by ideology more than anything, thus I remain curious as to whether this socialite will bring a real contribution to the opposition camp, or be used as a political tool, because she has a couple of million followers on Instagram?
Perhaps this should help artistes in dealing with their dangerous dilemma between doing commercial or conscious music. I read that artistes were cautious about releasing new music during the turbulent times because their audience’s attention was preoccupied by political events.
This in itself suggests that there is a market for conscious content. I absolutely applaud Weusi for the latest release titled Madaraka ya Kulevya which infuses political commentary in a song that presumably talks about matrimonial difficulties. Such an approach is sustainable and it allows Bongo fleva to play its envisaged role in shaping a “conscious society”.
I also absolutely applaud Diamond for his song, much as I don’t fully agree with the perspective he is taking in it. He made himself unpopular in the process, but I think that his detractors are missing the point. Even though his song is advocating for silence, he still exercises agency by singing about recent political events rather than going completely mum. There could very little wisdom in his lyrics, but there is so much symbolic value in his release that makes it barbaric to attack him for adding his two cents to the debate.

It is even worse that the notorious preacher dedicated precious worship time to attack the singer for his alleged ‘freemasonry’, just because he expressed divergent views on a topic of interest.
Folks have to realize that things are out of hand. If music ought to play its envisaged role, then we must respect artistes’ poetic license. Instead of launching scathing attacks on artistes we do not agree with, we must listen to them and seek to reason with them. If given a chance to confer an award on an artiste, I’d give it to the artiste who responded to Diamond’s Wacha Nikae Kimya with an alternative view in a song titled Sikai Kimya.
It was great to see artistes standing up to be counted. I am however worried about the continuity of their approach. I want to brand their actions as activism, but I am more inclined to see this as “reactionism”.

But since Bongo Movie people are also now actively pushing for policy reforms, we could be witnessing the start of an activist art industry in the country. Time will tell whether they are just being reactionary or are in it for the long haul.