Dar es Salaam. It is no longer a secret: Tanzanian artists are struggling to stage a comeback after the October 29 protests and the deadly crackdown that left families mourning their loved ones. Following the events, a social-media push emerged urging the public to boycott Tanzanian artists, especially those who were major crowd-pullers at ruling-party campaign rallies, a practice that has been common in past elections.
Unlike previous years, there is now a perception that artists celebrate people’s problems and cannot stand with the common citizen. This sentiment triggered a grassroots boycott, not through hashtags or coordinated campaigns, but through a collective understanding expressed in comment sections across platforms. The boycott is silent yet loud.
As a result, end-of-year shows have vanished, artists have canceled song and album releases, and, unlike previous years, the top-trending song in various physical spaces is not a local hit but a piece handpicked by activists: “Makomborero.”
Noticing the situation, Francis Ciza—famously known as Majizo, the owner of EFM, talent scout, event promoter, and founder of one of Tanzania’s largest event promotion companies, addressed the issue on December 11, 2025.
“We can all agree that we have political party ideology, it has not started today. Most of the time we were successful that party ideology did not enter into music; music remained music, without political affiliation, and musicians had the freedom to choose whichever party they wished,” Majizzo said in his public address. “There have been musicians who chose to remain artists while also venturing into politics, using music as a platform that propelled them into the political arena.”
“What is happening now, and what frightens me, is that this platform [music] may no longer produce future politicians. This is because we have essentially agreed not to support Tanzanian music. This is a difficult and very weighty statement,” he continued.
Majizo’s statement reflects the reality on the ground. November and December have traditionally been lucrative months for artists, filled with back-to-back shows, appearances, and streams of sponsorship deals. This year, however, the season is quiet, and not by accident. The boycott has shifted the landscape.
For example, major albums in 2024 were released in November and December: Godson by Marioo (November 28, 2024) and Peace and Love by Zuchu (December 20, 2024). This year, planned album releases—including one by Harmonize—were pushed forward for undisclosed reasons. December has typically been a rush of upbeat, party-oriented releases, but this year is markedly different.
“Since these movement [for boycott] began, artists have largely stopped producing music. And if they do have music, they are keeping it to themselves because they are receiving many threats, and they no longer know, how to return back,” Majizzo argued.
Business Owners Hesitate
One of the major challenges artists now face is uncertainty among promoters and business owners. With an angry public freely expressing frustrations in comment sections, organizers hesitate to book shows. Unlike December 2024, which featured events such as Bata la Disemba, a Sean Paul concert, and hundreds of nightclub performances, this year’s major event so far has been an unusual one: American singer Joe Thomas performed without any local opening acts, alongside a few gospel concerts.
Hemed Kavu, popularly known as Hyperman HK, a prominent showbiz figure in Dar es Salaam who markets events and manages several artists, analyzed the situation in an interview with The Chanzo.
“What we are seeing now, compared to past years, is a significant difference in the number of live shows and live performances by various artists. This change is a result of what is currently trending across different media platforms, which is directly affecting artists,” Hyperman HK explained. “Some artists who were perceived to have certain political affiliations are the ones most impacted, and these are major artists who are being affected by this situation.”
“But in one way or another, the number of shows has also decreased. If you look at the past two months, we have spent almost two weeks indoors at one point, the first time from October 29 we stayed inside for two weeks, and just recently we were indoors once more. Because of this, even event planning has declined. Organizers themselves are becoming cautious; they fear choosing dates because they may be criticized or blamed,” he continued.
A key issue is that many mainstream, commercially successful artists were visible in ruling-party campaigns, something Majizzo explained was simply business for them, not voluntary service. Despite his plea for the public to reconsider, comment sections remain heated, with some users arguing that “the people who listened to Tanzanian music were all killed on October 29.”
“To be completely honest, outdoor concerts and indoor events for certain artists have become very difficult to hold. In most bars, people are still holding shows, but they are using different artists because the reaction now comes from the fans,” Hyperman HK said.
“If you book certain artists who were seen in particular political spaces, you will see insults in the comments, you will receive threats. As a result, a frightened customer may avoid attending such an event, fearing that there might be chaos or some kind of disturbance,” he continued.
Makomborero
The biggest hit of the moment, trending on TikTok, Instagram, and at weddings and graduations, is widely known as “Makomborero.” Its actual title is Africa for Jesus, a South Africa gospel song using Shona. The song became symbolic after activist Edgar Mwakabela, known as Sativa, selected it in September 2025 on one of his now-banned Instagram accounts. He announced that anyone supporting change could use “Makomborero,” saying, “We will know you are part of the family.”
The song quickly became a tool for expressing political sentiment without explicit political statements. From TikTok dances to corporate events, it filled a cultural vacuum, unfortunately for local artists, the song is now the end-of-year anthem. Majizzo questioned this development, indirectly referencing the song and asking why, if the message is about justice, a local song was not chosen instead.
Experts such as Hyperman HK believe artists can regain public trust simply by releasing hits: “music lovers are just music lover,” he argued. But online, many Tanzanians call this moment a “checkmate”, especially after comments made by artists earlier in the year, such as a controversial remark by Diamond Platnumz in September 2025 advising people to focus on making money rather than complaining.
“In each and every administration, you are complaining. Those same people who misadvise you with nonsense complained in every past administration as well. Should we hand them the country and let them lead it?” Diamond asked while inside his Rolls-Royce as other artists with him laughed. “No one here is given free money. I don’t get free money, Marioo doesn’t get free money, Jux doesn’t get free money. Work.”
Some Tanzanians have taken Diamond’s remarks literally, mocking artists by suggesting they find other jobs such as carpentry or motorcycle taxi services, or saying they themselves cannot listen to music because they are “busy working.”
Diamond’s sister, Queen Darleen, also drew public outrage on October 27 after saying protesters should be “beaten or killed.”
“If God had given me a leadership position, you [who are planning to protest] would have face it, you would see fire. I would break your legs, I would cut you down, I would hit you because you brought it upon yourselves.”
In his closing remarks, Majizo attempted to soften the situation, apologizing for some of the statements made by artists, specifically mentioning Diamond, and arguing that it is not proper to attack him, as he has employed countless youths.
When The Chanzo reached out to Diamond’s manager, Babu Tale, who is also a Member of Parliament, he dismissed claims of hardship among their camp: “If there was an issue you will hear them speak, go and ask those who are complaining,” he said.
Weigh in on the issue, one of Tanzania’s top musicians and also one of the most streamed artist Harmonize, who had to postponed Album release for undisclosed reasons, argued that the situation is a new experience for the country.
“Some people have been commenting online, saying things like; “we won’t attend the show” and so on. When I see people complaining like this, I realize that as a nation, we have reached a situation we have never experienced before, so we don’t even know who to blame or who the real culprit is,” Harmonize shared a video on his Instagram story on December 12.
He continued: “Before October 29, there was no Tanzanian who was against the government. That is why you saw all the artists being very comfortable supporting the government and doing such things. What happened afterward was not planned; no one knew it was going to happen.”
In the video statement, Harmonize went on to play different scenarios from starting afresh, to going back to his early football career or returning back to family default religious activities, in trying to showcase that it is not the end of the world, if things continue to spiral negatively.
“It is a matter of staying silent, and everything will eventually come back together, let nature take speak. When I see someone saying, “I won’t come to your show” or “I won’t listen to your songs,” I take it calmly. You cannot blame me; I was paid. No matter how much I support the government, I was paid. There are not many shows organized by promoters, government is the number one promoter,” Harmonize continued, while emphasizing he understands fans.
