Tanzanian officials have stopped rapper Emmanuel Elibariki, famous as Nay wa Mitego, from performing in the country. This is because his new song criticizes the government.
The rapper was asked a lot of questions by the police in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday. He was accused of encouraging people to do bad things. His lawyer, Jebra Kambole, said on Thursday that he was let go after paying bail money.
The song Amkeni, which means wake up in Swahili, is very critical of the leaders in the country. It includes a line that seems to accuse the president of supporting thieves and not keeping her promises.
It is also not happy about the government’s agreement with a company from the United Arab Emirates to build and manage Tanzania’s port operations.
The lawyer told the BBC that the artist is being accused of inciting trouble by both the country’s arts regulator, Basata, and the police.
“Basata received complaints about the song, saying that it has offensive words. Not only that, they have prohibited the song and banned him from performing in Tanzania,” explained Mr.
The lawyer said they had told the police why the song “is not encouraging” by saying that it talks about corruption, misuse of power, and the port.
“The song is not meant to provoke people. Its purpose is to highlight the administration’s flaws and the intention is to educate or set things right,” he said.
The artist has been in trouble with the authorities before. He has been arrested and released many times in the past because of his songs that criticize different national problems.
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Rapper barred in Tanzania for composing ‘provocative’ song
