Music stakeholders in Tanzania have raised concerns about the loss of traditional music
Music stakeholders in Tanzania have raised concerns about the loss of traditional music in the presence of trending genres such as Amapiano.
At a get-together organized by the US Embassy in Tanzania on November 7, 2023, local and international music stakeholders discussed the challenges facing the industry ahead of the Access Music festival and conference, which are both set to kick off between November 9 and 11, 2023.
Singer Carola Kinasha said that the current generations are getting lost in trends that are complimented by sounds that are originally from other countries.
"The music scene in the country does not support genres like Singeli, an authentic genre that is connected to us and holds the power to make Tanzania stand out. They are going with the trends. Every song that comes out has either an Amapiano beat or lyric. While this would have been okay if Tanzanian musicians still held on to the kind of genres that easily identify them as Tanzanians," she said.
Kinasha explained that there is now a division between older and younger generations in terms of their musical tastes and perspectives.
"An older person who has witnessed the journey of music in the country understands how fast things have changed. You cannot even listen to music on the radio or watch it on the television anymore because it's the same case. We have lost our identity and it is high time, we change that," she said.
Singer and radio presenter Innocent Nganyagwa advised the government to explore its options in the entertainment industry instead of repeatedly exhausting the same musicians.
"There is a habit by government officials that they would tour regions or districts but would use the same musicians to entertain the residents of the places they are visiting. There are regions like Dodoma where most of the people in the primary tribe in that region (wagogo) are gifted when it comes to music, yet they are left behind because of preferences that overshadow such talents," he said.
Voice of America (VOA) presenter Roger Muntu said that Tanzania, like many other African countries, does not value traditional music.
"This has diminished the ability of the world to identify Tanzanian music whenever it's played across the world. Tanzania has to seek examples from countries across the world that excel in music because of the way they have embraced and protected sounds that are connected to their roots," he detailed.
