Although the majority of Harmonize’s discography does not make him a ‘political’ artist, the genre his music resides under, Bongo Flava, has strong political roots. Dubbed as mziki wa kizazi kipya (new-age music) when it emerged in the 1980s, Bongo Flava is the genre-blend of HipHop, R&B, Reggae, Zouk, and others, localized by the Kiswahili language and Tanzanian urban youth culture. It has since morphed into various iterations and birthed many sub-genres that don’t neatly fit into a specific categorization. It has leaned into R&B to embrace singers, incorporated musical elements from various Tanzanian tribes, and most recently it has merged with South Africa’s amapiano to create Bongopiano.
By the early 2000s, Bongo Flava was no longer just a music genre, it was also a central form of cultural expression for disenfranchised youth, particularly those living in urban centres. They used the genre as a means for expression of their experiences, tastes, fears, and frustrations alike, and as a potential source of financial security. Tanzanian youth of this era lived against a backdrop of rising unemployment rates, poverty, poor infrastructure and public health concerns like the HIV/AIDS epidemic. As a result, their lyrics frequently featured commentary on how these socio-economic and public health issues affected them. Bongo Flava artists of the early 2000s in particular took seriously the responsibility of representing fellow youth and relaying their true lived experience. In his 2003 track, ‘Darubini Kali’, Bongo Flava pioneer, Afande Sele, raps, ‘Mimi ni msanii, kioo cha jamii,’ (I am an artist, a mirror for society).
Pro-government music also grew in popularity in the early 2000s. It became commonplace for artists to encourage civic engagement and drum up youths to vote through music, like with singles, with lyrical content on electoral processes like ‘Kura Yangu’ by artists Dr Levy and Sugu. Some artists would also make campaign jingles for parties as well as go on campaign tours with politicians running for office. In the lead-up to the 2005 elections, Bongo Flava group TMK, led by Juma Nature accompanied CCM party candidate and eventual president, Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete (December 2005 to November 2015), on his campaign tour. Artist Ngwair also released a song titled ‘Mtoto wa Jah-Kaya’ to show his support for the presidential candidate.
In contrast, other artists used the genre as a means of sonic protest against political shortcomings in the country. Professor Jay, for instance, released the popular ‘Ndiyo Mzee’ and subsequent ‘Kikao Cha Dharura’ to address politicians’ failure to keep promises they made to citizens during their election campaigns. Rapper-singer Nakaaya Sumari also released ‘Mr Politician’ with similar sentiments. There was also Wagosi Wa Kaya, a Bongo Flava duet who social science researcher, Nicodemus Minde, describes as having ‘epitomized socially conscious music through their radical criticism of the government.’
Of course, there were artists who were ambivalent about political engagement and preferred to use the craft only to entertain, but Bongo Flava in the 2000s was characterized by its diverse tapestry of political leanings and expressions. Now, Harmonize’s album enters a much different landscape. One where the spectrum for what is considered appropriate political engagement for artists has significantly narrowed.
A notable reason for this is that the tension between societal norms and creative freedom has gotten increasingly fraught with the National Arts Council banning songs or fining artists under the guise that they do not align with national morals. In 2018, the National Arts Council passed more than 60 new regulations that dictated which art was appropriate and provided forms that artists would have to fill in order to make or perform their art domestically and abroad, as well as guidelines for private companies who wish to work with artists including increased fees. Bongo Flava star Diamond Platnumz, Nikki Mbishi, Jux and Barnaba were some of the artists whose music was banned. Some artists also experienced performing restrictions as punishment for not adhering to the regulations, a particularly harsh deal when you consider how significant live shows are as a source of income for artists, especially in Tanzania. This is because of a lack of strong music-sharing platforms that could expose artists to bigger audiences and provide substantial payouts. While big distribution platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music have been criticized for their royalty payout model, local platforms like Mkito and Boomplay have neither been able to produce great pay-outs either, nor figured out how to rival piracy. As a result, performance bans become a hindrance to their livelihood.
A few years later, in 2023, the council released more guidelines for the observance of ethics in art—a manual of some sort for artists that doubled down on the council’s stance and preserved their ability to enforce consequences for violations. In that same year, the ‘Ameyatimba’ music video by Whozu and Bilnass, aroused mostly backlash for perpetuating rape culture, with the majority agreeing with the council’s decision to take down the video as it went against ‘national morals’. But opinions were far more nuanced when Bongo Flava artist, Nay Wa Mitego’s ‘Amkeni’, a song critical of the country’s leadership, landed the rapper in a court case, charged with provoking dissent. While some thought that he went too far, many others agreed the charges were a sign of stifling freedom of speech. Instances like these call to question the disparities in understanding what constitutes societal morals and ethics. When music that praises the government is lauded, whilst artists who critique the state face legal repercussions, one has to wonder if ‘ethics’ is code for compliance, and if putting the responsibility of enforcing them on the shoulders of a government entity is the way to go.
Other genres have also undergone suppression in a similar way. Gospel singer, Sifa Bajune’s music video for a song titled ‘Tanzania Inaelekea Wapi?’ (Where is Tanzania Headed?) was pulled from all platforms in September 2023. These regulations by the National Arts Council happened alongside the Media Services Act and amendments to the Statistics Act, so the culture of repressing opposing opinions permeated other industries. Maxence Melo, journalist and founder of Tanzanian social networking site, JamiiForums, which regularly hosts discussions on governance, has been arrested over refusing to identify subscribers’ identities. In ‘Index on Censorship’, writer Neema Komba speaks to visual artist Amani Abeid who shares that ‘the impact their work can have is at the mercy of the National Arts Council.’ In July 2024, visual artist and Mbeya region resident, Shadrack Chaula, was found guilty of cybercrimes and sentenced to a two-year imprisonment or a $2000 fine after a video of him burning a photo of the president and insulting her went viral. Regional Police Commander Benjamin Kuzaga stated that Chaula’s actions were, ‘contrary to the laws and the cultural norms of our country,’ although he did not specify which laws were broken. In a 2024 article in The Citizen on the incident, independent lawyer Philip Mwakilima argued that he did not believe that burning a picture constituted a legal offence.
