Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture deputy director of censorship Anganile Nthakomwa has called on artists to follow censorship guidelines when composing songs.
The sentiments follow the recent release of a song by Afana Ceez titled Lako which is littered with explicit reference to how some women wiggle their ‘behinds’ to appeal to men. It also contains swearing words.
In an interview yesterday, Nthakomwa said the song contains lyrical content which is explicit, indecent, obscene and morally corrosive. She added that the song regards women as weak and sexual objects.
The deputy director further said the song contravenes Section 23 of the Censorship and Control Entertainment Act of Malawi.
The section prohibits the production, distribution and public performance of any form of entertainment content, including music that is deemed undesirable.
“Artists are expected to exercise moral discipline and public responsibility. They should be held accountable for the societal impact of their work. Content creators must understand that artistic innovation does not exempt one from social responsibility,” she said.
Nthakomwa said artists have the responsibility to avoid vulgar, profane or obscene language in their expressions.
She said they also need to refrain from producing or promoting content that denigrates religion, culture or social values, ensuring that their content does not incite disorder, glorify violence, drug use or promote immorality, particularly among young and vulnerable consumers.
Nthakomwa said: “Artists are not operating in a legal vacuum. Under Malawian law, freedom of expression is not absolute, especially when such expression endangers public morality or the cohesion of society.
“Content creators are legally bound to exercise discretion and avoid producing or promoting works that could offend, mislead or morally damage the general public, especially impressionable groups such as children and youths.”
She said Malawi encourages all stakeholders, including artists, media houses, producers and streaming platforms to pre-emptively sanitise content before it is distributed to the public.
But in a separate interview, Afana Ceez played down the sensitivity of the song lyrics attributing the content to ‘part of a long-standing hip-hop culture’. The rapper said the song has used everyday language of the people.
“The references in the song are what everyone else uses when they are talking about women. In fact, I am not the first person to do such a song. It is down to our generation. We are just trying to express ourselves in a creative way,” he said.
The Lako remix features Crispy Mw, Nae Rae, Ace Jizy, K Banton and Morale the Rapper. The song was produced by Rheumus.
