Ban of Diamond’s Tetema and Wamlambez in Kenya divides opinion
Dar es Salaam. When Kenya’s moral policeman Dr Ezekiel Mutua on Tuesday announced the ban of public performance of ‘Tetema’ and ‘Wamlambez’, the decision was bound to draw emotive reaction, given the popularity of the two songs in both Kenya and Tanzania.
The Tanzania national arts council (Basata) thinks Kenya’s moral policeman’s directive was ill advised.
Basata say they are surprised with Dr Mutua’s decision to ban the song by Tanzanian singers Rayvanny and Diamond Platnumz, insisting it’s not pornographic as stated by the CEO of the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB).
Basata’s boss Godfrey Mngereza said the body always vets all the songs in the country as per the law before they are released and as such Tetema is good for public consumption and that is why it has not been banned in Tanzania.
Dr Mutua, who is the CEO of the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB), decreed that the lyrics of ‘Tetema’, by Tanzanian singers Rayvanny and Diamond Platnumz, and ‘Wamlambez’, by the Sailors, can only be played in night clubs and bars, where the audience is strictly adult.
“It’s embarrassing to see even national leaders singing and dancing to the obscenity in public. The lyrics are dirty and not suitable for public consumption, especially children,” Mutua said.
And with that, Tetema and Wamlambez were effectively banned from being played in public.
Despite the ban in Kenya the two songs remain very popular in Kenya and Tanzania something that explains all the varied reactions the ban has attracted from the online community.
Some of the critics say the ban was ill timed because the songs have been on air for a very long time.
“Where have these guys been, these songs have been on air for several months now and it is only now that we are waking up,” writes NancyM on Twitter.
She adds that there are several titles by Diamond Plutnumz and his WCB crew that does not qualify to be played in family environment because of the explicit lyrics and raunchy videos.
However, there some who wanted a blanket ban for the two songs citing the ban in Tanzania of certain songs that were very explicit from artistes such as ‘Nyegezi’ by Diamond and Rayvanny
“I am a youth very young but in support… the people singing are too young to be displaying such content and disgrace. As a society we should not allow such type of music to be played all over. It’s an insult to our values as a society and an exposure to immoral content,” wrote Kanyi
