Veteran Taarab singer Khadija Kopa has questioned the representation of Zanzibar in the ongoing Bongo Flava @30 celebrations, saying the anniversary events have so far failed to reflect the contribution of artistes from the Isles.
Kopa, who has spent decades in Tanzania’s music industry, said she did not attend the celebrations because she did not want to force her way into an event where she had not been invited.
‘We can’t go to someone else’s event and cause a disruption, only to be asked, ‘Who invited you?” Kopa said.
Her concern, however, extends beyond her own absence.
‘We didn’t even see the Zanzibari artistes… We saw Bongo Flava artistes from Tanganyika, not from Tanzania,’ she further added.
Her comments come as Bongo Flava @30 continues a nationwide celebration marking three decades of Tanzania’s homegrown music genre.
The celebrations began in Dar es Salaam, with the main event held at Mlimani City on July 10. The programme subsequently moved to Mwanza on August 8 and Dodoma on August 22 before reaching Arusha on September 19.
The Arusha edition featured veteran names including Jay Moe, Juma Nature, Dully Sykes, Mr Blue, Q Chief, Chidi Benz, Lady Jay Dee, Matonya and Crazy GK, alongside American hip-hop veteran Mr Cheeks.
The expansion beyond Dar es Salaam has been presented as part of an effort to take the anniversary celebration to different parts of the country and bring together artistes from different generations.
But Kopa’s comments raise a different question, how representative has that national celebration been of Zanzibar’s contribution to the story of Tanzanian popular music?
Kopa is not a Bongo Flava artiste in the conventional sense. She is one of Zanzibar’s established Taarab voices.
She has collaborated with artistes including Chid Benz and Diamond Platnumz.
Zanzibar also developed its own urban music movement, commonly known as Zenji Flava, as hip-hop and contemporary sounds were adapted to the Isles’ musical and cultural environment.
That history means the story of Tanzanian popular music cannot easily be separated into completely different mainland and Zanzibar chapters.
The question becomes even more significant when looking at the purpose of the Bongo Flava @30 celebrations.
Organiser Madee has described the anniversary as an opportunity to recognise the people who contributed to the growth of Bongo Flava, rather than only those who were appearing on stage. Saying that the anniversary has also traced the genre’s development to a combination of hip-hop influences, Tanzanian sounds and Kiswahili storytelling.
Yet Kopa’s criticism suggests that recognition is also about geography and whose version of the history is being presented.
Her reference to seeing ‘Bongo Flava from Tanganyika, not from Tanzania’ places the debate within the country’s own history and identity, challenging the idea that a national celebration can fully represent Tanzania’s music while leaving questions about Zanzibar’s participation.
The timing of the criticism is particularly notable because the Zanzibar leg of the anniversary has itself been postponed.
The Zanzibar concert was initially scheduled for October 3, but organisers have now moved it to October 17, 2026.
The event is expected to continue the Bongo Flava @30 celebrations in the Isles and provide a platform for Zanzibar’s music community to be part of the anniversary programme.
The postponement means the Zanzibar edition will now come after the mainland stops in Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Dodoma and Arusha.
It also creates an opportunity for the anniversary to address the very concern raised by Kopa, whether the story of Bongo Flava’s 30 years can be told as a national story without giving Zanzibar’s artistes and music history a visible place in it.
As the anniversary heads to Zanzibar on October 17, the Isles will have an opportunity to add its own voices to the Bongo Flava @30 story.