TOUGH JUSTICE: Bongo Fleva and why regulation is no longer optional

The deeper issues with Bongo Fleva and why regulation is no longer optional

About a year ago this paper published my rather wrathful piece lamenting the moral decadence borne out of the sheer abundance of inappropriate, nay, vulgar expressions within our beloved local music scene. My piece rubbed a certain clique the wrong way. They felt it was an attack on a form of art that has become central to our identity as Tanzanians and an affirmation of our ownership of the glorious Swahili language.

Much as I would love to avoid ruffling feathers again, some things are just too conspicuous to be ignored. So here’s a lowdown on a few incidents that have ground my gears over the past few months, prompting me to re-run my ideas up the flagpole.

Social media, especially Instagram, is increasingly populated with nudity, and the biggest culprits are people on the local entertainment scene. It has never been easier for younger people, especially girls, to break into relevance – a few nude pictures on Instagram will always be followed by coverage in tabloids, then online media, and before you know it, a followership and stardom that warrants mainstream media coverage.

Society’s limits of acceptance have been widening.  A few months back, a prominent lawyer was caught on camera cozying up a little too much to a certain socialite. He was very quick to come out, apologise and take responsibility before his issue was blown out of proportion. The socialite, on the other hand, did not need to apologise for her behaviour, nor did she see it fit to condemn what could have easily been interpreted as sexual abuse.

She had nothing to lose, nor be ashamed of, and expectedly, my gauging tells me the public opinion was in her favour. Ridiculous as it sounds, it seems society entertains and fully embraces people with certain behaviours, as long as they are off limits to prominent persons. So, the socialite is fully riding that wave and is gaining even more notoriety with her absurd entry into the music scene. She alone is sufficient proof that sexual innuendo in our music has been taken a couple of notches higher.

At the same time, media platforms, both online and mainstream, still don’t care a hang about all this absurdity. In fact, they are awarding it more airtime and airplay. Against this background, it is easy to understand why our acceptance is growing and the distasteful content increasingly permeating our society.

Currently, there is a video circulating of what appears to be a teacher in a primary school leading a parade with a song drawing content from popular culture. She is being hailed as a hero for her creativity, and for making learning a fun experience for her students.

But does the end justify the means in this case? I don’t think so. Upon closer examination, the lyrics she is leading her students to sing are of questionable decency. This makes me wonder if the students would have shown the same level of enthusiasm if a chant of a similar mood and style, but with lyrics about nation-building was being used.

The media has obviously failed us. But shall we let popular culture degrade the sanctity of another core institution of our socialisation – our education system?

At the risk of being the black sheep again, I am going to suggest some form of regulation to curb the possible effects of our art on our perceptions of risky sexual behaviour.

To start with, I must point out that regulation is broad and must not be viewed as “policing”. Even those nations from which we import our ideas of an over the top liberal media are also observing a level of regulation.

Artists themselves should be play a role, for instance by releasing clean and explicit versions of their songs for dissemination to audiences of different ages.

Media houses could censor explicit content or could avoid airing certain content during certain hours. They could also make efforts to sensitise parents on the need to supervise their kids’ media consumption. All these are forms of self-regulation that should be encouraged and institutionalised.

For the government, legislation making it mandatory for all programs to have a sex, nudity, violence and language rating is a form of state regulation that could go a long way towards assisting parents, even kids themselves, to curtail the negative effects of the media they consume.

The music industry has become way too big now, that the much-needed work of administering any corrective measures will not be a walk in the park. While I applaud recent efforts to ensure artists are fully enjoying the fruit of their labour, I remain cognizant of the deeper issues with our local entertainment issues. We are in dire need of a hero to take the bull by the horns.The deeper issues with Bongo Fleva and why regulation is no longer optional

About a year ago this paper published my rather wrathful piece lamenting the moral decadence borne out of the sheer abundance of inappropriate, nay, vulgar expressions within our beloved local music scene. My piece rubbed a certain clique the wrong way. They felt it was an attack on a form of art that has become central to our identity as Tanzanians and an affirmation of our ownership of the glorious Swahili language.

Much as I would love to avoid ruffling feathers again, some things are just too conspicuous to be ignored. So here’s a lowdown on a few incidents that have ground my gears over the past few months, prompting me to re-run my ideas up the flagpole.

Social media, especially Instagram, is increasingly populated with nudity, and the biggest culprits are people on the local entertainment scene. It has never been easier for younger people, especially girls, to break into relevance – a few nude pictures on Instagram will always be followed by coverage in tabloids, then online media, and before you know it, a followership and stardom that warrants mainstream media coverage.

Society’s limits of acceptance have been widening.  A few months back, a prominent lawyer was caught on camera cozying up a little too much to a certain socialite. He was very quick to come out, apologise and take responsibility before his issue was blown out of proportion. The socialite, on the other hand, did not need to apologise for her behaviour, nor did she see it fit to condemn what could have easily been interpreted as sexual abuse.

She had nothing to lose, nor be ashamed of, and expectedly, my gauging tells me the public opinion was in her favour. Ridiculous as it sounds, it seems society entertains and fully embraces people with certain behaviours, as long as they are off limits to prominent persons. So, the socialite is fully riding that wave and is gaining even more notoriety with her absurd entry into the music scene. She alone is sufficient proof that sexual innuendo in our music has been taken a couple of notches higher.

At the same time, media platforms, both online and mainstream, still don’t care a hang about all this absurdity. In fact, they are awarding it more airtime and airplay. Against this background, it is easy to understand why our acceptance is growing and the distasteful content increasingly permeating our society.

Currently, there is a video circulating of what appears to be a teacher in a primary school leading a parade with a song drawing content from popular culture. She is being hailed as a hero for her creativity, and for making learning a fun experience for her students.

But does the end justify the means in this case? I don’t think so. Upon closer examination, the lyrics she is leading her students to sing are of questionable decency. This makes me wonder if the students would have shown the same level of enthusiasm if a chant of a similar mood and style, but with lyrics about nation-building was being used.

The media has obviously failed us. But shall we let popular culture degrade the sanctity of another core institution of our socialisation – our education system?

At the risk of being the black sheep again, I am going to suggest some form of regulation to curb the possible effects of our art on our perceptions of risky sexual behaviour.

To start with, I must point out that regulation is broad and must not be viewed as “policing”. Even those nations from which we import our ideas of an over the top liberal media are also observing a level of regulation.

Artists themselves should be play a role, for instance by releasing clean and explicit versions of their songs for dissemination to audiences of different ages.

Media houses could censor explicit content or could avoid airing certain content during certain hours. They could also make efforts to sensitise parents on the need to supervise their kids’ media consumption. All these are forms of self-regulation that should be encouraged and institutionalised.

For the government, legislation making it mandatory for all programs to have a sex, nudity, violence and language rating is a form of state regulation that could go a long way towards assisting parents, even kids themselves, to curtail the negative effects of the media they consume.

The music industry has become way too big now, that the much-needed work of administering any corrective measures will not be a walk in the park. While I applaud recent efforts to ensure artists are fully enjoying the fruit of their labour, I remain cognizant of the deeper issues with our local entertainment issues. We are in dire need of a hero to take the bull by the horns.