At about 10pm on the night of September 28, Tanzanian songbird Zuchu took to the stage in Mbeya as one of the headline acts at the Wasafi Festival, an annual concert that has become a fixture on the country's entertainment calendar in its five years of existence.
Hardly 15 minutes later, she walked away in a huff, escorted by security personnel, as unruly elements in the large crowd started throwing bottles and other objects at her and flashing obscene gestures of disapproval.
The fans were apparently none too pleased about the 'Mama Mitano Tena' chant that Zuchu chose to greet them with before beginning her show. Many saw it as an attempt to turn the proceedings into a promotional platform for President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who is poised to run for another five-year term in next year's general election.
"We paid to hear her sing, not campaign for Samia or (the ruling party) CCM," one angry reveller vented later that night in a TikTok video post.
The incident was a repeat of what happened to Zuchu whose real name is Zuhura Othman Soud at the same festival in Songea last year, the only difference being that this time, instead of just one bottle, many were tossed in her direction, alongside other types of missiles.
Nay wa Mitego
A couple of days before Zuchu’s Mbeya incident, contemporary Bongo Flava star Nay wa Mitego -- for the umpteenth time – found himself in trouble with the authorities over his latest release 'Nitasema,' which criticises government's inaction on the political violence that has swept Tanzania in recent months.
'Nitasema' hit the airwaves on September 24 and had garnered over one million views on YouTube by the time the government regulator, National Arts Council (Basata), summoned Nay to explain, among other things, why it had been released without the council's prior approval.
In the three minute, 25-second track, the 38-year-old rapper questions the logic behind giving the police sole authority to investigate cases of mysterious abductions, enforced disappearances, murder and such like in the run-up to Tanzania's electioneering season, amid widespread concerns that they (police) could actually be the main perpetrators.
He also makes pointed references to President Samia's public use of the word “drama” to describe the incidents, instead of condemning them outright, the song's lyrics containing the scathing line: “Would you dare call it drama if your own child was one of the victims?”
Basata has formally charged Nay, whose real name is Emmanuel Munisi, with “incitement” in accusing the government of kidnapping people, “misleading the public” about the Samia administration's governance credibility, and “defaming other countries” by citing Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo as examples of violence-prone countries that Tanzania should not be seen as emulating.
He was given seven days to respond to the charges or face serious consequences, including suspension, a hefty fine or both. By press time, his fate remained unknown.
'Uchwa' syndrome
The two separate episodes served to underline, yet again, the historically uneasy, love-hate relationship that Bongo Flava artistes in Tanzania have with the country's rulers, and the extent to which the popular genre becomes a catalyst for ratcheting up political and public sentiments at election time.
With the country set to conduct municipal elections next month and a presidential and parliamentary polls in 2025, emotions are naturally running high across the political landscape.
On the one hand, there are artistes who have become associated with a sycophant syndrome, commonly referred to in Tanzania as “uchawa,” which has become embedded in CCM politics, principally as a means of ensuring their own commercial and financial survival through political patronage.
Fingers have been pointed at the likes of Diamond Platinumz, the current undisputed king of Bongo Flava in Tanzania, and Harmonize who, these days, are often seen performing at CCM functions as feted invitees of the ruling party. Diamond (real name Naseeb Abdul) also runs the Wasafi Festival franchise, which may have been a possible factor in Zuchu's recent embarrassment in Mbeya.
At least one former Bongo Flava star, Mwana FA (real name Hamis Mwinjuma), has succeeded in leveraging his on-stage popularity for tangible political gain within the CCM system, first clinching a legislative seat as Muheza MP on the ruling party's ticket in 2020 and then, in 2023, a placing in President Samia's Cabinet as deputy minister handling the culture, arts and sports docket.
Mwana FA first clinched Muheza MP on the ruling party's ticket in 2020 and was appointed deputy minister handling the culture, arts and sports docket in 2023.
Photo credit: Pool
A far cry from a decade or so ago, when Mwana FA was a member of the East Coast Team, a trio including fellow music A-listers AY and GK, and famous for popular songs such as 'Mfalme' and 'Kiboko Yangu' before he moved on to politics.
Sugu
On the other hand, some former Bongo Flava icons have gone the other route, morphing into powerful voices in opposition politics.
The most prominent among them is Sugu (real name Joseph Mbilinyi), widely credited as the first Tanzanian rap artiste to achieve mainstream success in the 1990s, but now an influential figure in the Chadema party and the closest Tanzanian comparison to Uganda's opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine, who ran against President Yoweri Museveni in the last polls.
Sugu lost the Mbeya Urban Constituency MP seat he held for 10 years to current National Assembly Speaker Tulia Ackson in 2020, but remains an abiding force in his hometown and the duo is on course for what is likely to be a bruising battle royal for the seat in next year's polls.
Another is Professor Jay (real name Joseph Haule), who made a name for himself in the 2000s with well-received political satire rap songs such as 'Zali la Mentali', 'Mapinduzi ya Kaya', 'Kikao cha Dharura' and 'Ndio Mzee.'
He also switched the music stage for the political stage, winning an MP seat for Mikumi Constituency in Morogoro as a Chadema member in 2015, before being toppled by a CCM opponent in the controversial 2020 polls.
Outside conventional politics, Nay wa Mitego has had numerous brushes with the authorities over the years. In 2017, he spent time in police detention for releasing 'Wapo,' lampooning then president John Magufuli's authoritarian leadership style.
And in September 2023, he faced significant backlash from the authorities for his song 'Amkeni,' which took the Samia administration to task over its deal with the Emirati firm DP World concerning the running of operations at the Port of Dar es Salaam.
Along with his latest release 'Nitasema,' at least one of Nay wa Mitego's songs has been banned every year for alleged anti-government messaging since 2017.
But he is not the only Bongo Flava virtuoso to have run afoul of the establishment in recent years. One particularly infamous case involved Roma Mkatoliki (real name Ibrahim Mshana), who was abducted by unknown people along with three colleagues from their recording studio in Dar es Salaam in 2017.
Roma Mkatoliki has been a well-established critic of the government through his song lyrics.
Photo credit: Pool
They vanished for several days before being found, dumped and battered, in a beach enclave. Although to this day Roma says that he doesn't know the motivation behind their mysterious kidnapping, this was a time when such actions by "unknown people" believed to be under the Magufuli government's payroll were the order of the day in Tanzania.
Like Nay, Roma was a well-established critic of the government through his song lyrics.
If anything, the latest incidents involving Zuchu and Nay wa Mitego highlighted once more, and in no uncertain terms, the balancing act for Bongo Flava artistes striving to keep fans happy, and regulators and politicians at ease.
Basata's strict policing, which most of the artistes consider overbearing, has continued to place musicians on the defensive.
Diamond has probably got used to it by now, judging by his seemingly unstoppable ascent in local and global charts despite increasing criticism that his once admirable boldness behind the mic may have become compromised by the growing closeness to that he and his Wasafi label now appear to share with the powers-that-be.
He is the only musician in East and Central Africa to have produced at least five music videos exceeding 100 million views on YouTube, the latest being 'Nana,' released in August in collabo with Nigerian artiste Mr Flavour.
But for the likes of Zuchu, who continue to work under Diamond on the Wasafi label, last month's Mbeya experience - and Songea before that - must have served as a rude awakening if they are to stay as relevant as their mentor to their legions of fans.
As for the unflinchingly activist proponents of Bongo Flava like Nay wa Mitego and (to a lesser extent these days) Roma Mkatoliki, the road to eventually achieving true creative freedom is littered with steep cliffs, huge portholes and hidden pitfalls.
