Baraza la Muziki la Taifa (BAMUTA;
Swahili for "National Music Council") was a national council created in 1974 by the government of the newly independent
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
. Its purpose was to regulate the music business in the country, in the context of a wider programme intended to create a solidified national identity. This, in turn, was a crucial element in
Ujamaa
Ujamaa ( in Swahili) was a socialist ideology that formed the basis of Julius Nyerere's social and economic development policies in Tanzania after it gained independence from Britain in 1961.
More broadly, ujamaa may mean "cooperative economics ...
, President
Julius Nyerere
Julius Kambarage Nyerere (; 13 April 1922 – 14 October 1999) was a Tanzanian anti-colonial activist, politician, and political theorist. He governed Tanganyika as prime minister from 1961 to 1962 and then as president from 1962 to 1964, aft ...
's version of
african socialism
African socialism or Afrosocialism is a belief in sharing economic resources in a traditional African way, as distinct from classical socialism. Many African politicians of the 1950s and 1960s professed their support for African socialism, althou ...
. Similar institutions were founded to rule over other aspects of the nation's culture, including the nationwide adoption of Swahili language (promoted by
Baraza la Kiswahili la Taifa ''Baraza la Kiswahili la Taifa'' (National Swahili Council, abbreviated as BAKITA) is a Tanzanian institution responsible with regulating and promoting the Kiswahili language.
Background
Tanganyika and Zanzibar, the two constituents of modern Tanza ...
) and the development of Tanzanian art (
Baraza la Sanaa la Taifa
Baraza la Sanaa la Taifa (BASATA; Swahili for National Arts Council) is the national council founded in 1984 by government legislation to serve as a facilitator and promoter of Tanzanian
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of T ...
) (BASATA). The overall idea was to build a new popular culture for the workers and peasants of the country, free from the heritage of
colonialism
Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...
and
bourgeoisie
The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...
culture.
BAMUTA was responsible for the establishment of national music policies, which sought to control musical imports and issued disco and club licenses. BAMUTA called for strict government planning as well as control over the popular music in Tanzania. For example, import of foreign music was generally banned with the exception of music from
Zaire
Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, ...
.
Under such restriction, and due to government promotion of musical creativity, many bands formed and new African music styles emerged, most notably in the
muziki wa dansi
Muziki wa dansi (in Swahili: "dance music"), or simply dansi, is a Tanzanian music genre, derivative of Congolese soukous. It is sometimes called Swahili jazz because most dansi lyrics are in Swahili, and "jazz" is an umbrella term used in Cent ...
(dance music) business.
In 1984, BAMUTA was merged into BASATA.
References
Tanzanian music
Tanzanian music industry
Organizations established in 1974
1974 establishments in Tanzania
{{Tanzania-gov-stub