Zuchu Banned in Zanzibar After Raunchy Stage Show
Zuchu, one of Tanzania’s most popular musicians, has been banned from performing in Zanzibar for six months after an inappropriate performance.
Her performance on Kendwa Island last month included sexually explicit language and gestures.
The Zanzibar Arts Council claimed it violated the island’s customs, traditions, and culture. It also fined Zuchu $390 (£306) for performing without a council registration, according to media reports.
Zuchu, real name Zuhura Othman Soud, has since apologized in a video posted to her Instagram account.
“The goal was to entertain and not to mislead,” she said.
Zanzibar is a popular holiday resort in Tanzania, and several tourist magazines named it one of Africa’s top ten travel destinations last year. Many residents are socially conservative, and some of them objected when video clips of her performance began to circulate on social media.
The 30-year-old became the first female musician in East Africa to reach one million YouTube subscribers in a single year.
She is also the first female musician in East Africa and only the fifth female artist on the continent to reach 500 million YouTube views, according to her label WCB Wasafi.
