CPWAA AFUNGUKA SABABU YA MUZIKI WA BONGO KUTOVUKA BODA KUPITIA "CHANNEL O"

Author: Ilunga Khalifa (CPwaa) with the light touch of Amby Lusekelo. April 11, 2014 |

Tanzania is at a positive turning point particularly notable in the various industries that have gained growth. The home of the Ngorongoro crater, which is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, as well as Mt. Kilimanjaro, which is the highest peak in Africa; Tanzania is cashing in on its natural beauty. Named as one of the top 52 places to visit worldwide in 2014 by the New York Times, Tanzania is shinning.

The music and entertainment industry is also experiencing growth thanks to both individual efforts of some and the general positive light and warmth emitted by the country as a whole. You will find a wide range of both local and international music in all the major cities. Everything from Justin Bieber, Beyoncé to Pink and even more genre-specific based artists like Mos Def from the Hip-Hop genre and the British rock band, Cold Play will be playing at some location at any given time.

The playlist in urban areas is usually split 60-40% with the highest percentage going to local artists. Tanzanian music as a whole is a mixed blend of everything which is both a good thing but at times the lack of uniqueness, comes as a disadvantage.

There is traditional music from over 120 tribes which is sung in local tongue and which are fundamental in cultural activities throughout the country. There has been a burst and consequent rapid growth of Tanzanialized if you will, sub-genres which are immensely popular throughout the country. These local sub-genres BongoFleva, Taarab, The Dance (Dansi) and Gospel are mainly recognized and appreciated by Swahili speakers as they are done in Swahili language. 

There are approximately 100,000 artists in Tanzania although the Copyright Society of Tanzania (COSOTA) reports that only 2,000 are registered. Tanzanian music and in particular the BongoFleva genre is lucrative with about $25 million reportedly made from callback tunes only in the period of 2012-2013.

This is one of the major ways that artists make money as they can’t depend on just sales of their records. There are laws against piracy and little measure taken to protect copyrights. This, therefore makes it hard for the artist to work and even harder to penetrate the international market. Additionally collaborations with international artists is also unlikely as international artists seldom work environment that will not protect their work and guarantee they get paid for it. 

 

Although this is a major contributing factor to why to why Tanzanian music is struggling to cross over, there are other reasons that are weighing us down. The country is a cultural melting pot with huge foreign influence. Tanzania has over 120 tribes; which all came together as a result of our history. As much as this multiculturalism is a wonderful, it holds us from having a unique sound as much as we have Swahili to fall back on. I believe that we do not have a unique, Tanzanian sound and the limited use of Swahili language restricts us from accessing the international market.

Illiteracy in music business as most artists lack any formal training with managers who are equally ignorant as well as limited quality control in the final product restrict our music from crossing over and making it big. In fact, most artists actually manage themselves but for those few who have managers, they are more interested in returning their financial investment rather than nurturing talent.

The general quality of content produced is also another problem associated with our music especially when it comes to music videos. Most music videos fail to meet international broadcaster standards and the few that have mainly done so by investing more on production and applying individual effort to push their product in the international market. 

And last but certainly one of the most important reasons is the government is yet to officially acknowledge the industry and even as the new constitution is being drafted, artists have yet to have any laws to protect them. Both the film and music industry are new and didn’t existence when the first constitution was made in the 1960s. Despite this however, the government is now quick to impose heavy taxation on any artist work. I believe that this also holds us back as formal acknowledgement and support from the government will help us grow stronger and excel in the Swahili speaking nations which we are yet to do.

As an artist, I give much respect to my fellow artists and independent companies, music producers, bloggers, Deejays and presenters in the country for continuing to push forward and try to make Tanzanian music the best it can be. Our struggle now means that the future generation will have an easier time making good music and someday, we might see a Tanzania artist do a major cross over and take home a Grammy or Brit Awards, and showing the world our excellence.

BongoFlava
BongoFleva is the name given to basically music of various major genres done in the Swahili language. This is mix of Pop, Hip-Hop, Kwaito, R&B, Reggae/Dancehall, and any music genre that can be tapped and customized by the use of the Swahili language. Bongofleva comes from two words, ‘Bongo’ a Swahili slang word for ‘Ubongo’ which means ‘brain’ is commonly used to represent survival means in city of Da-es-salaam and ‘Flava’ which is ‘flavor’. BongoFleva is Tanzanian urban music representing the music of today’s Tanzania and is widely accepted locally. It started in the early 90s being mainly of Hip Hop genre as that was the music that was readily available to the youth at that time. Back then young people formed Swahili rap-groups with legends like Saleh Jabri, The Diplomatz, Kwanza Unit, X-Plastaz to name a few. These were the pioneers of Swahili Hip Hop Music.

Tanzania was going through privatization era and most youngsters had access to the U.S Hip Hop music which had a huge impact to the youth. This type of music was ideally considered inappropriate and ‘hooligan’ by the elders in Tanzania because of its background culture and associated behaviors.

The rapid rise of Bongoflava, though discouraged, caused the increase in demand for recording studios, and the year 2000 welcomed a wave of fresh artists who wanted to do more than rap. They wanted to sing and so they did and sing the new, more involved Bongoflava was born. Artists like Juma Nature, Professor Jay, Unique Sisters, Lady Jay Dee, T.I.D, Q Chief, Banana Zorro, Ray C, and Mr. Paul to name a few emerged. They made songs which were not only entertaining but were telling stories, raising awareness and educating the society about most of the socio-economic issues that are affecting the Tanzania community such as Poverty, AIDS, malaria, politics/governance and drug abuse. They also sing about the timeless classic conflict that is, love. Bongoflava saw wonderful collaborations with other industries such as the movies and fashion industry. 

Dance and Live Band (Dansi)
Dansi music is also very popular and has a good following mostly amongst the older generation. Played live with a band with a fusion sound of Rhumba, originally from Cuba and Lingala music originally from Congo. Although it is made up of these fusions, it is widely referred to as Jazz music for the unmistaken jazz sound with which each song begins with before it upgrades, if you will, to a more Rhumba and Lingala sound. The Dansi music is the music for the mature or youth with a more mature ear.

Taarab
Taarab music is a fusion of sound from South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, the Middle East and Europe sung in Swahili rhythmic poetic style. It is a lively art form springing from a classical culture, immensely popular with women. Taarab forms a major part of the social life of the Swahili people along the coastal areas especially Zanzibar, Tanga and even further in Mombasa and Malindi along the Kenya coast. Some say that Taarab is of Egyptian origin. Legends like Sinti Bin Saad and Bi Kidude were the most popular Taarab singers. Even today Taarab has managed to survive the new world with rising of new Modern Taarab bands like East African Melody and Jahazi Modern Taarab.

Gospel Music
Gospel music is done with a Tanzanian twist using the Swahili language. In Tanzania gospel music is the leading genre is record sales and concert attendance. Gospel is so popular, the first artist to get an international recording label deal sings this genre of music. Rose Muhando was signed to Sony Music two years ago.

About the Author:
Ilunga Khalifa a.k.a CPwaa. A Tanzanian Music Artist, 3 Tanzania Kilimanjaro Music Awards, Museke Africa Awards nomination,2 Channel O Africa Music Awards nomination. A Telecom Engineer by profession. Currently working for his Recording Label and Music Publishing Company, Brainstormusic & Media Co. LTD.

About the Editor:
Amby Lusekelo: Amby is a columnist writing weekly for a local newspaper. A communications person by profession, she started as a TV host and has since worked her way up the corporate ladder in the entertainment industry. ambylusekelo.com