Several Tanzanian celebrities who publicly endorsed President Samia Suluhu’s re-election bid have suffered heavy losses after their businesses were vandalised and looted by protesters.
One man, however, is grinning from ear to ear.
Rapper Nay Wa Mitego, famous for his fearless and biting lyrics, which often target government corruption and abductions, has seen a sudden surge in the popularity of his music, particularly on TikTok.
His song Amkeni, which was banned two years ago, has gone viral on the platform and resonates powerfully with restless youth.
In the track, Nay accuses the president of turning a blind eye to the corruption scandals exposed in the Controller and Auditor General’s report, which detailed how Tanzania lost trillions of shillings through dubious government deals.
Another of Nay’s banned tracks, Nyie Ni Nani, released in June, has also resurfaced online with renewed energy.
The song boldly calls out fellow artists, including Diamond Platnumz, for supporting the ruling CCM party, which has long been accused of abductions, extrajudicial killings and silencing critics. Nay, who has been arrested multiple times over his music, is now being hailed as a voice of defiance.
Meanwhile, for those who stood by Samia, the tables have turned. Rapper Billnass, who owns the upscale electronics store Nengatronics, watched helplessly as protesters torched his shop in Dar es Salaam, looting millions of shillings' worth of gadgets, including iPhones.
Singer Shilole, another vocal supporter of the president, saw her restaurant overrun by demonstrators who feasted for free before leaving the premises in ruins. Fashion icon Juma Jux fared no better; his boutique, African Boy Wear, was cleaned out entirely.
Then there’s Diamond Platnumz, the face of Tanzanian pop. The Bongo Flava superstar had flooded his Instagram with over 500 posts in support of Samia and the CCM, but has since deleted them all.
Following the protests, Diamond is said to have lost over 100,000 followers, and some of his businesses are reportedly under threat.
While Samia’s celebrity endorsers face backlash, the once-suppressed protest anthems of Nay Wa Mitego have become the soundtrack to public anger — a poetic twist in Tanzania’s unfolding political drama.
