Reaction as Burundi bans Rwandan songs

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.