By Emmanuel Gatera, KIGALI
Rwanda
On April 24, National
Communication Council of Burundi (CNC) announced the banning of 33 songs,
including seven that featured Rwandan artistes.Head of CNC Vestine Nahimana
The decision to ban the songs
was announced by the head of CNC Vestine Nahimana, who listed down all the 33
banned songs including those that featured Rwandan artistes like 'Ikinyafu' by Bruce
Melodie and Kenny Sol, 'My Boo' by Afrique, ‘Mpamagara' by Pizzo John and Davis
D, Yvan Muziki’s 'Nyash'
featuring DJ Pius, among others.
The move to ban the songs received
heavy backlash from Rwandan music lovers who described the act as a way of
putting down Rwandan music which is currently the most streamed and played on
airwaves of Burundi.
Speaking to The New Times,
Rwandan Afrobeats star Davis D, said that the move to ban the songs, including
‘Mpamagara,’ in which he features, might have been sparked by the way Rwandan
music is steadily taking over in Burundi and the whole East African region.
He said that most Rwandan
artistes whose songs were banned in the country have either had a sold-out show
in Bujumbura, or have a featuring with one of the top Burundian artistes that
turned out to be a hit.
“It’s CNC’s right to ban our
songs but if it's a way to turn down our music, they will never succeed. Our
music is now streamed on all major platforms and can’t be easily stopped by
such acts,” Davis D said, adding that Rwandan and Burundian artistes built
strong ties that can’t be washed away by this saga.
Asked if banning his song in
Burundi discouraged him, Davis D said, “It’s a big motivation to know that my
songs are played in other countries to the extent of being a national issue.
I’m going to produce many more songs so that they choose what to play and what
not to.”
For Afrique, whose track ‘My Boo’ was among the banned songs, the ban is a step in the right direction to make artistes repair and produce music that contains good messages as opposed to promoting immorality.
“Banning our songs might not
affect us immediately, but we risk losing a large number of our fans in
Burundi. For me, this is a wake-up call that will help me be careful while
composing my songs. I promise my fans to produce better songs,” Afrique added.
Alex Muyoboke, a renowned
Rwandan music manager and investor, believes the ban is restricting freedom of
expression.
He argued that while there are
some entertainers who may be glorifying different activities, there are others
who are merely singing about what is happening in the society.
“Banning songs isn’t the right
thing to do. Engaging artistes and having sessions with them, educating them on
the right content to create, could help a lot more. That’s how things are done
in Rwanda,” Muyoboke noted
The ban is not practical since
people can still access the recorded material on other platforms, including
YouTube or live shows where they can watch the artiste perform, Muyoboke added.
According to Anita Pendo, one
of the few female DJs in Rwanda with over 10 years’ experience in the music
industry, the ban can never affect Rwandan music and will not stop it from
growing in Burundi.
She said that Burundi has all
the rights to ban songs but putting down Rwandan music is far from existence,
given how far it has come and the direction it’s heading to.
“Not all Rwandan songs were
banned so, yeah, our music is still growing as usual. Let’s keep pushing it as
far as possible,” said Anita Pendo.
The last time a Rwandan song
got banned was in 2018 when Oda Paccy released ‘Ibyatsi’. The single track
received backlash for peddling nudity, leading the singer’s status as ‘Intore’
being scrapped by the former National Commission of Itorero Chairperson Edouard
Bamporiki who accused her for undermining Rwandan culture values.
Burundi remains one of the
biggest markets of Rwandan music with millions of supporters that consume
Rwandan music on a daily basis. At least 30 Rwandan artistes have staged in
Burundi, with the majority being upcoming ones. The likes of Ish Kevin,
Bushali, Davis D, Bruce Melodie, Shemi among many others have performed in sold
out concerts held in Bujumbura, Burundi.
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