Burundian artists are confronted with ever-shrinking possibilities for open and free political speech, writes the Copenhagen-based NGO.
Well-known singers and band members are being targeted and, if possible, manipulated to change their artistic or political style. Several musicians have fled the country.
Since April 2015, the central African country Burundi has been going through political turmoil. President Pierre Nkurunziza was finishing his second term, and according to the country’s constitution he would not be eligible to run for a third term.
Nkurunziza disputed and overruled both the constitution and the Arusha agreements from 2000, which had brought peace to the country that has been through more than three decades of civil war, and in July 2015.
He won a new term in office after a contested election which was boycotted by the opposition.
Privat-ejede radiostationer brændt ned
The last months since then have showed acts of violence and harsh repression against opposition members and civil society actors as well as media practitioners.
Freedom of expression has been extremely limited, especially when five of the most popular private radio and television stations were attacked and burned during the month of May 2015.
With the closing down of these stations, the new and upcoming generation of Burundian artists lost their outlets.
Some of the artists were also engaged in the campaign against the third mandate of the president, mainly through songs that informed and sensitised the people of Burundi in their local Kirundi language.
Some of these songs have been considered examples of expressions of hate speech, because they openly accuse and denounce the “others”.
Reggae band truet
Apart from losing their main access to the airwaves, more is at stake for the musicians, states Freemuse.
Long before the elections, in early 2015, the famous and popular reggae band Lion Story received regular threats because of the sharpness and openness of their lyrics.
Some of their well-known songs dealt – in a symbolic, but highly understandable way – with issues such as corruption, political killings and harassments of members of political parties and civil society members.
Some of their songs were used as the soundtrack of the May and June protests that were organised by the youths in the urban suburbs of the capital Bujumbura, where most street protests took place.
On the other hand, it needs to be said that other songs also praised the president for all his results achieved during the last 10 years in power.
Due to the crisis almost no public concerts are being organised anymore.
Those who participated and supported the president did profit financially, but were on the other hand looked upon as “enemies” of the opposition and civil society and as a consequence dropped from playlists at private radio stations.
Kunstnere som “sandhedssigere”
Læs videre på
http://freemuse.org/archives/11067
Se meget mere om det for mange ukendte land i Centralafrika på
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burundi
