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Music to the ears of Tanzania's hitmakers

4 July 2008

Waziri takes to the microphone Midnight at the Msasani Club in Dar es Salaam, and the Kilimanjaro Band is two hours into another Saturday night concert of home-grown Tanzanian music. Established 34 years ago, tonight the eight-piece band's performance is as energetic and thrilling as ever.

Waziri Ally is one of the three founder members still playing. He loves music but hates the treatment of his band by the unscrupulous people who have pirated its work. Although they have made four albums together, according to Waziri the band members are "rich artistically, but not financially."

Beating the pirates

The Kililmanjaro Band's first two albums were taken on by producers who never paid the band a fee, and the two subsequent releases have been widely copied and then sold without royalties being paid. "The pirates have become rich selling hundreds of thousands of copies of our albums," says Waziri. "I feel terribly bad that they've ripped us off. They've profited from our sweat, toil and talent."

Although Tanzania has laws which protect an artist’s rights to intellectual property (their scores and lyrics, for example) and prevent pirates from stealing those rights to make profits, the laws are not clearly understood and are rarely implemented.

Now - with backing from DFID - an organisation that supports musicians is putting pressure on the authorities to tighten up musicians' rights. "We want musicians to get a better deal and profit from their hard work," says Ruyembe Mulimba of Rulu Arts Promotion. "But we must convince the Government that it's in their best interests as well - that they could earn significant revenues from taxes from the music industry and that many new jobs could be created."

Tightening up copyright

Stara Thomas, Tanzania musician and defender of musicians' rights A lack of solid documentation means the true worth of Tanzania's music industry is unclear, even though Ruyembe believes it to be "millions of dollars". But without evidence that tax revenues are being lost, the Government is unlikely to act.

Through a DFID-funded programme known as BEST-AC, Rulu received training to make its voice heard in the corridors of power. After identifying the most important issues at stake, Rulu members were asked to formulate solutions, work out ways of reaching the Government with them and then keep a close watch on progress.

Ruyembe describes how the action plan has taken shape. "We identified copyright as the one key issue to focus on and are now lobbying politicians for change," he says. "We held an information workshop for 40 MPs, who were outraged by what's happening in the industry and pledged to take action. So, we've been able to influence them!"

Helping business to boom

The programme is now working to ensure that businesses in other industries know how to engage with policymakers. After all, in BEST-AC's own words, the best organisations to advise the Government on improving the business environment are businesses themselves. And when business is booming, the nation is wealthier, jobs are created, and there are more tax revenues to pay for public services.

. . . It is now half past three on Sunday morning and the Kilimanjaro Band has just wrapped up another tiring five-hour performance. As Waziri and his bandmates pack away their instruments, they can look forward to a future in which their hard work and talent are, finally, properly rewarded.

Facts and stats

BEST-AC is the advocacy component of the Business Environment Strengthening for Tanzania Programme (BEST). It was set up and funded by Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK.

BEST is a US $19 million programme backing the Tanzanian Government’s effort to create a better business environment by ensuring that all levels of government fulfil their obligations towards the private sector.

DFID is providing a total of £593,000 towards BEST-AC. The first phase of the programme started in 2005 and ends in 2008. DFID is planning to fund phase two, to run from July 2008 to June 2013.

RULU Arts Promotion received a BEST-AC grant of $85,868 for their first advocacy project (approved in October 2005). They have a follow-up project, still ongoing, for $58,500, which started last year.

BEST-AC grants have been awarded to various organisations, including the Tanzania Milk Producers Association, the Tanzania Women Miners Association and the Tanganyika Law Society.

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