Tanzania’s hip-hop politician

Lives Less Ordinary

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary, Personal Journals

4.6 • 814 Ratings

🗓️ 30 April 2023

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Joseph Mbilinyi pioneered Swahili rap and then turned to politics, but ended up in jail.

In the 1990s he'd become one of Tanzania's biggest stars under the stage name Sugu. He'd released albums, toured the country and abroad, and helped create a new genre called Bongo Flava. He's known for hard-hitting, often political, lyrics. In 2010 he took that message to parliament when he was elected as an opposition MP. But he ended up being jailed after speaking out against the president of the time.

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Rob Wilson Editor: Munazza Khan

Transcript

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0:00.0	You are about to listen to a BBC podcast and I'd like to tell you a bit about what goes into making one.
0:06.5	I'm Sadata Sese, an assistant commissioner of podcasts for BBC Sounds.
0:11.1	I pull a lot of levers to support a diverse range of podcasts on all sorts of subjects,
0:16.0	relationships, identity, comedy, even one that mixes poetry, music and inner city life.
0:22.4	So one day I'll be helping host develop their ideas, the next fact-checking, a feature,
0:28.3	and the next looking at how a podcast connects with its audience.
0:32.3	And maybe that's you.
0:33.6	So if you like this podcast, check out some others on BBC Sounds.
0:40.0	Yeah, he's back.
0:42.3	I ain't nobody's back.
0:43.7	I've been here.
0:44.6	I've been around.
0:46.4	I've been around the world.
0:49.2	This is a track from Sugu, one of Tanzania's biggest hip-hop stars.
0:56.5	Talk about going back a UK, rapper, hustler, politician.
1:06.3	And in 2018, Sugu, aka Joseph Bellini, also became a prisoner.
1:12.9	I said to myself, hey, you didn't do nothing.
1:15.6	They take you to prison because it scared of you.
1:19.5	I chose to accept the reality that I'm in prison wrongfully.
1:26.2	So I had nothing to regret, but to accept you that it's okay.
1:32.4	It's a price to pay when you fight for democracy.
1:35.8	So take that one.
	...

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