As it is in other countries, the music in Tanzania is constantly undergoing changes, and varies by location, people, settings and occasion. The five music genres in Tanzania, as defined by BASATA are, ngoma, dansi, kwaya, and taarab, with bongo flava being added in 2001. Singeli has since the mid-2000s been an unofficial music of uswahilini for unplanned communities in Dar es Salaam, and is the newest mainstream genre since 2020.
Bongo Flava is a nickname for Tanzanian music. The genre was developed in the 1990s, mainly as a derivative of American hip hop and traditional Tanzanian styles such as taarab and dansi. Lyrics are usually in Swahili or English.
Tanzanian Hip-hop, which is sometimes referred to Bongo Flava by many outside of Tanzania's hip hop community, encompasses a large variety of different sounds, but it is particularly known for heavy synth riffs and an incorporation of Tanzanian pop.
Following Tanganyika's independence (1961) and unification with Zanzibar (1964), leading to the formation of the state of Tanzania, President Julius Nyerere emphasised a need to construct a national identity for the citizens of the new country. To achieve this, Nyerere provided what has been regarded by some commentators as one of the most successful cases of ethnic repression and identity transformation in Africa.
As of 2021, there are 31 regions of Tanzania which are divided into 184 districts.
Joseph Haule, popularly known by his stage name Professor Jay, is a Tanzanian hip hop recording artist, politician and former member of the Tanzanian parliament for Mikumi constituency. He is one of the prominent representatives of the "Bongo Flava" Tanzanian hip hop subgenre, which mixes elements from both Western hip hop and the Tanzanian tradition.
Tanzania Music Awards are national music awards held annually in Tanzania. They are also known as the Kilimanjaro Music Awards or the Kili Music Awards after their sponsor. The awards were established in 1999 by the National Arts Council (BASATA) under the Tanzanian Ministry of Education and Culture.
Rehema Chalamila, popularly known by her stage name Ray C, is a musician from Tanzania. Her genre of music is Afro pop, specifically Bongo Flava.
Simon Njoroge, popularly known as Shrekeezy, was a Kenyan advertising strategist. He was also largely involved in art and entertainment as a radio host, TV presenter, rapper, DJ and Entertainment Executive. He first gained major attention for his successful online radio show Shrekeezy Live which was later taken up as a daily radio show on Hero Radio Kenya after gaining over 40,000 fans on social media. As a marketing executive at Hero Radio, Simon developed huge interest on Internet marketing and took part-time classes with Chartered Institute of Marketing. During this period, he played a major role in marketing muicbook.com, a social networking site that was founded by his colleague and close friend Samuel Keige. The site was however sold to Afroleo.com. He left Kenya a year later to be the personal assistant of Tanzania-based Indian entrepreneur Nilesh Bhatt. He later that year joined Pilipili Entertainment, a Tanzanian film production company owned by Nilesh Bhatt as the marketing manager. He had since worked as a Digital Strategist in major East African Advertising agencies like Scanad, MetropolitanRepublic, Express DDB and BrandVision Advertising.
Wema Abraham Sepetu is a Tanzanian actress and beauty pageant titleholder who won the Miss Tanzania 2006. She represented Tanzania at Miss World 2006, which was held in Poland.
Vanessa Hau Mdee, is a Tanzanian recording artist, television personality and radio host. Mdee is popularly known for being the first ever Tanzanian MTV VJ. She later rose to prominence as a radio and TV host, hosting Epic Bongo Star Search and Dume Challenge for ITV Tanzania before signing to B'Hits Music Group in late 2012.
Smile Communication Tanzania Ltd is a telecommunications network company in Tanzania. It was registered in July 2009 and began commercial operations in May 2013. The company is a subsidiary of Smile Telecoms Holdings, a South African telecommunications conglomerate, whose subsidiaries include: (a) Smile Telecom (Nigeria) (b) Smile Telecom (Tanzania) (c) Smile Telecom and (d) Smile Telecom (Uganda). Smile's first country of operation in Africa was in Tanzania. Smile Tanzania was the first company to launch commercial 4G LTE services in Tanzania and began its operations in the city of Dar es Salaam.
Elizabeth Michael(Lulu) (born April 16, 1995) is a Tanzanian actress.
Hon. Jokate Mwegelo is a prominent Tanzanian politician, entrepreneur, and media personality, known for her dynamic leadership and influence in both the public and private sectors. As the Secretary General of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) Youth Wing (UVCCM), she has demonstrated exceptional dedication to shaping the future of Tanzania's youth and advancing the party’s vision.
Rebeca Z. Gyumi is a Founder & Executive Director at Msichana Initiative, a Tanzanian NGO which aims to empower girls through education, and address key challenges which limit girl’s right to education. She has worked for over 8 years with Femina, a youth focused organisation, as a TV personality and youth advocate.
Yvonne Cherrie is a Tanzanian actress. In 2010 she won Zanzibar International Film Festival for the 'Best Actress' award. She was also nominated for 2011 Nigeria Entertainment Awards for Pan African Actress Of The Year. She is cited as one of the best actresses and pioneers in the movie industry of Tanzania. She is also the founder of Act With Monalisa foundation which focus on to mentor and support young Tanzanian women with acting career guidance and a platform to showcase their talents and Director of African Women Arts and Film Festival (AWAFFEST).
Faustina Charles Mfinanga, popularly known by her stage name Nandy is a Tanzanian singer, songwriter, and actress. She was born and raised in the town of Moshi, Tanzania in Kilimanjaro Region. She won the All Africa Music Awards twice as the best female artist in East Africa in 2017 and 2020.
Irene Pancras Uwoya, is a Tanzanian actress, producer and entrepreneur she is best known for her career name Irene Uwoya and for her movie role Oprah. Beginning her professional career in 2007 along with others bongo movie actors such as Vincent Kigosi, Steven Kanumba and many more.
Zuhura Othman Soud better known by her stage name Zuchu, is a Tanzanian singer and songwriter born on November 22,1993 in Zanzibar. She is currently based in Dar es Salaam and is signed to WCB Wasafi record label.
Omary Ally Mwanga, known professionally as Marioo, is a Tanzanian singer, songwriter, and music producer. He is known for his hits such as Bia Tamu, Mama Amina, Dear Ex, Raha, Mi Amor and Naogopa, songs that have made him a household name in Tanzania and East Africa in general.
