Exporting Bongo Flava via Playback

Dar es Salaam. The dawn of the millennium coincided with the birth of a new genre in Tanzanian which was christened Bongo Flava. 

In the begining nascent industry struggled for recognition locally as it was associated with hooliganism but with time it has been accepted as ‘our music’.

The reasons why the early disciples struggled was varied just as their critics but top on the list was that they were copying American Hip Hop and RnB at the expense of local flavour. 

 But that was soon to pass as the new generation performers started to tick the boxes and what was once considered as junk music gained airplay on mainstream media.

The second step after the boys and girls got the country singing was to take the music across the borders in an attempt to become an international brand.

This, too, seems to have been won, with Diamond and Venessa Mdee leading the onslaught of their conquest.

The collaborations with South Africans, Nigerians, Kenyans, Ugandans, Congolese, and even Americans have in recent years been used as a tool to promote Bongo Flava on different frontiers.

As a result the awards have been coming with Diamond wining the MTV EMA edition of 2015, the MTV Africa Music awards, the Afrima and many others.

He has risen to become the best Tanzanian music export. 

This has earned him an international celebrity status with huge following on social media something that now guarantees him large audiences at his shows.

This year he has gone one better with European tour that has seen him perform in Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Brussels, Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen and many other venues.

His performances have been some welcome news to his legion of fans at home who are fed on clips of his videos on YouTube plus pictures of his exploits overseas on Instagram.

But as they say perfection is only for the immortal, he too has had flaws and this time around the gap has been a gaping one.

Diamond gig in Copenhagen

His attempt to export his brand to Europe was met with mixed feelings as he stuck to his usual routine of performing with playback.

Last weekend, alongside other Danish artistes in Copenhagen, he was the lead act at the concert that was organised by promoter Shelby Florent with a ticket going for an equivalent of almost Sh117,000.

The turn up as usual was great with the majority coming from Eastern Africa, but the performance wasn’t great as the audience accused him of two things; coming in late and performing on playback.

To many who made their voice heard they were disappointed that an artiste like Diamond was still performing on playback something that they say is not acceptable in Europe today.

Many commended him for the energetic dance with his crew but say he fell short of the most important aspect of such a concert.

Pernille Bærendtsen is a Danish journalist, has been a fan of Diamond since she first saw him perform at the Leka Dutigite concert in 2012 in Kigoma. 

She finds Diamond’s ways of rebranding Bongo Flava and experimenting with video and social media very interesting. She was, however disappointed with his concert in Copenhagen.

“There is always an audience for Diamond even in Europe. However, Europeans are not so much into playback and I think this is going to be Diamond’s biggest challenge if he is to operate in the European market and also reach an audience outside of the African Diaspora ,” she says.

According to her, Diamond’s audience in Tanzania accept playback on stage as they are used to it.

“Here, we think it is a kind of cheating. We believe that you have to be just as good on stage as you are in the studio to earn the credits,” she says

The playback crisis 

Diamond’s gig is not an isolated case in Bongo Flava, something that the industry commentators say is driving away potential suitors.

Speaking to the Beat Busara festival director Yusuf Mohamed says it is something they have tried to fight and according to him it is one of the saddest aspects in Tanzania’s music .

“In the West, artistes who perform with CD backing tracks are rarely taken seriously,” he says. He adds: At Sauti za Busara festival in Zanzibar we decided many years ago to ban playback, only showcasing musicians who play ‘100 per cent live’. This was an expensive decision, of course, it means we have higher costs for travel, accommodation and performance fees but it’s a decision we have never regretted.

He believes it is a rewarding experience as artistes have to put in hours of rehearsals and discipline.

“Playing live brings spontaneity to the performance, it gives artists more flexibility and the freedom to express themselves and communicate with audiences on different levels,” he says.

Busara’s director  says the only reason audiences keep coming back is because they know they’ll experience great music, with energy, friendliness, vibes and excitement and that is why many of the artistes get invited to perform at other big events in Europe, Africa or the US after the event.

Live gigs are supposed to be an experience that an artiste seeks to give his audience, something that sticks into their memories.

Veteran musician John Kitime says this is what the playback takes away from the revellers and it to some it is just ok.

“As sad as it is some show promoters have in the past tried to normalise this pathetic situation yet in reality it is cheating as you don’t offer the audience a true picture of your ability,” says Kitime   

Their voices are corroborated by Tanzania House of Talent director Ruge Mutahaba who believes that by the time an artiste decides to start performing abroad he should have in place structures to perform live.

“It is rather a shame our artistes still go to international audiences with CDs to perform, this casts a negative picture of what we have achieved in the last two decades,” he says.

He adds: I’m a strong believer in the philosophy that one should always write music that you know you can and will be able to perform in a live environment.  

The only reason why people part with their hard earned cash is not to see an appearance on stage but a musical performance that involves all aspects.

Unfortunately, most Tanzanian artistes today including the established ones prefer the easier way out and that is via the Playback!