How much discourse did Wapo create?

Dar es Salaam. It is Friday night and a crowd of influential Bongo Flava practitioners gathered in small groups down at a night club in Dar es Salaam, it was obvious that some undercurrent was rumbling.

The discussion at hand was about a new release that many thought was bound to upset the powers that be.

Ney wa Mitego was at it again, he had released another controversial single which he titled ‘Wapo’, a song that gained overnight popularity.

In the song he raises, several issues including the characters of some administrators in high public offices and by Sunday morning he was in police custody in Morogoro where he had gone to perform.

The National Arts Council, too, swung in to action by banning the song indefinitely, promising that more action would follow because the song according to them lacked Tanzanian moral values.

Ney Wa Mitego is not new to controversy, last year the National Arts Council banned another controversial song which he had named ‘Pale Kati’.

But as the chaos was going on, President John Magufuli through the Minister Information ordered that the artiste should be set free and the song should be played and instead of the ban the artistes was advised to modify his piece of creation to mention other vices.

The announcement was not only a sigh of relief to the artiste who was set free immediately but also diffused popularity of the song.

In doing so, the authorities confirmed an age old adage, in art and other forms of cultural expression; disagreement is acceptable and embraced as an essential ingredient.

There are those who admired his bravery and those who slated his efforts as a childish pursuit for fame.

Speaking to The Beat veteran singer John Kitime said artistes like Ney wa Mitego was only a product of what society has become today.

“It could have been okay to set him free in the name of art but to sanction such lyrical content to be played on radio is rather bizarre,” says John Kitime.

Contrary to what many believe, John Kitime says there was a national moral compass that was abandoned in 1995 and from there on most institutions dealing with culture have operated in isolation.

“Take a look at Basata, it seems its powers end in Dar es Salaam, how come when Snura’s song ‘Chura’ was banned she continued performing elsewhere,” questions Kitime.

To some pundits by banning or continuing to hold the artiste could have given him a cult status in a world that seems to be driven and thrilled by trivia especially on the social media.

Music, movies and other forms of entertainment dominate our society’s interests. Celebrities typically produce various means for us to escape from reality, but imagine if they used their influence to promote worthwhile causes.

By using their wide exposure to promote important messages, celebrities can have an incredibly positive influence on their fans. The tactic inarguably increases awareness to hard but necessary issues which need addressing, such as corruption, sexism, global warming and poverty. On top of spreading awareness, it creates recognisable leaders for people with less exposure to the issue such as in Eric Wainaina’s case in a song ‘Nchi Ya Kitu Kidogo’ a song that decried the levels of corruption of the then administration in Kenya. Society has several benefits from artistes, including a worthwhile meaning instead of solely singing and talking about drugs, sex and money. Incorporating the promotion of good causes in performances is incredibly beneficial to the younger generations.

When celebrities that young people look up to use their platform to promote causes important to them, they are portrayed as educated and good-intentioned idols. The display of capacity for profound thought may lead members of older generations to have a greater respect of millennial beliefs and opinions, whether they agree or not.

Such is the power of art, as many admit that the feeling of being moved by a work of art, whether it is a song, a play, a poem, a novel, a painting, or a spatio-temporal experiment.

“When you are touched by a work of art, you are moved; transported to a new place that is, nevertheless, strongly rooted in a physical experience, in our bodies,” says Jourdan Bartels.

Though it may come as a surprise, artistes as role models have a responsibility to help people not only get to know and understand something with their minds but also to feel it emotionally and physically.

Rapper Niki Wa Pili admits that art is a powerful tool that can be used in shaping public discourse, sometimes on issues that are even considered taboo.

According to the ‘Sweet Mangi’ singer, art can mitigate the numbing effect created by the glut of information we are faced with today.

“Art and artistes have always played a great role in people’s struggles from the days of colonialism in Africa to the post colonial struggles as leaders and groups used music to disseminate the desired information,” says Niki wa Pili.

He adds: For example when you look at the birth of hip hop in the US it was basically due to the injustices of the time and as a result black people had to find to define themselves and express their grievances.

He believes it is important to allow artistes to create without stifling their imagination by some emotional reactions that are not well spelt by the law.

“ In our situation there is always the call by the National Arts Council to observe morality and culture in our compositions yet the definition of Tanzanian culture remains very vague,” he says.

He decries the fact that there are times when the same preachers of morality use artistes to compose songs attacking their opponents.

“In the past two election campaigns politicians who complain today of abusive content used artistes to compose songs that were not in good taste to attack others. We all know how a president like the late Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire use artistes to promote his exploitative regime, yet millions of Congolese were suffering,” adds Niki. According to him a community created by arts and culture is potentially a great source of inspiration for politicians and activists who work to transcend the polarizing populism and stigmatization of other people, positions, and world views that has become a problem in public discourse today.

It could be argued that some artistes can use their privileged platform to promote an unethical issue like in the case of Ney wa Mitego.

“Young people need to be enlightened and get involved in issues that leaders are trying so hard to change. Being exposed to such matters by an admired celebrity is an effective way to influence passion.”