Tanzania suspends female rapper for raunchy video

The authorities in Tanzania have suspended female rapper Rosa Ree from performing for six months, saying her recently released music video “went against the country’s’ morals”.

The body that regulates the arts industry in Tanzania, Baraza la Sanaa la Taifa (Basata), added that the song “Vitamin U” which the rapper performed with her Kenyan musician boyfriend, Timmy Tdat, also contravened its regulations.

The suspension means Rosa Ree will also not be allowed to perform outside the country and will have to pay a $870 (£675) fine, The Citizen newspaper reports.

The acting Basata CEO Onesmo Kayanda, The Citizen reports, said the body found the rapper had made two mistakes:

“We summoned Rosa Ree and granted her a hearing. The board found her with two mistakes other than sharing explicit content online. One, she never brought the project to Basata for review and two she did not enter into a contract with the international artiste she collaborated with as per the law.”

The original video which was uploaded on YouTube was taken down because of the “obscene content”, Kenya’s Nairobi news site reports.

Another version which the news site refers to as “cleaner” was uploaded last week and currently has 180,000 views.

The over three-minutes video has some of its scenes blurred.

Last year, Basata sanctioned top African pop star Diamond Platnumz after he played a song which had been banned for being sexually suggestive.

The song “Mwanza” contains the Swahili word for “horny”, and dancers are seen in a video simulating sex.

Source: BBC