Updated: March 4, 2021
African pop star Diamond Platnumz has been barred from performing his “sexually suggestive” song in Tanzania.
The song Mwanza contains the Swahili word for “horny”, and the ban by the arts regulator came after dancers were seen in a video simulating sex.
[read_more id="2" more="Read full article" less="Read less"]
According to the BBC, the popular Tanzanian singer has been dogged by controversy in recent years.
Just last April, he was questioned by police after posting on Instagram a video clip of himself playfully kissing a woman. Back then, the authorities accused him of behaving indecently.
Tanzania’s arts regulator, Basata, said Diamond Platnumz would also be banned from performing abroad, but as noted by the BBC, it was unclear how it would enforce this.
The ban also applied to Rayvanny, another local musician who features in Mwanza.
“We have reached the decision because the two musicians have treated our directive with disdain,” Basata said in a statement.
Diamond Platnumz recently floated the possibility of leaving the country.
“If they don’t want me to perform my songs I can live in another country and play there. If Tanzanian law says I can’t perform here, I can go to Kenya where I am not banned,” he said.
The musician, whose real name is Nasib Abdul, is billed to headline an end of the year concert in neighbouring Kenya, BBC added.
[/read_more]
