BabuK
JF-Expert Member
- Jul 30, 2008
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Arusha ranks second after Dar-es-salaam in multi-million-shillings in regards to pirated audio tapes ( Music CDs) and movies in the country.
Kilimanjaro comes third out of 26 regions of Tanzania, according to an official tapes and movies distributor in the country, the Tanzania Film Makers Association.
Piracy is very rampant here in Arusha, leaving many artists empty-handed as millions of shillings land in the hands of illegal dealers, a member of the association, Ignatius Kambarage said.
The situation is quite similar to other parts of the country, which are flooded with pirated music and movies, he noted.
However, a survey carried out by The Guardian in Arusha Municipal Council showed that traders in the industry had been selling pirated movies openly.
Areas popular for the illegal business include Mianzini, Sombetini, Majengo, Mbauda, Pangani, Stand ndogo, Esso, Unga Ltd, Sakina, Kwa Ngulelo, Tengeru, among others.
I cant remember if I have ever bought any original CD because whenever I want to get a new tape I just go to a shop to press an order, said Joseph Ole Saitu, a resident of Majengo suburb in the municipality.
He said pirated CDs were very cheap compared to the original ones, which is sold at 7,000/- each.
But copies sell between 1,000/- and 1,500/- each depending on the shop and the price is affordable for low income earners, he remarked.
Another Arusha-based resident, who preferred anonymity, said Tanzanian movies were sold at a cheaper price in the neighbouring Kenya.
He explained that some businesspeople often went to Nairobi and buy Tanzanian movies in a five-in-one form, like the Nigerian movies.
They are plenty in Arusha and most of these are made in Nairobi, Kenya, he said.
Kambarage, who is a distributor and artist from Steps Entertainment Company said: We are losing millions of shillings from this illegal business.
He said the Copyright Society of Tanzania (Cosota), traders who possessed valid licences were authorised to sell original work and not copies.
The government is also losing billions of shillings from the film industry as the money goes into people, who do evade tax, he added.
Khatib Musa an artist with Jumba la Dhahabu lamented that the situation was very bad in Tanzanias film industry.
People are no longer interested in buying original movies but rather they are purchasing the pirated ones because they are cheaper, he said, urging the responsible authorities to contain the problem.
Regional police commander Basilio Matei admitted the problem was widespread, saying his office was working on the crime to contain it for good.
According to a recent survey by Polygram Records Ltd, tape piracy is one of the major problems in African music distribution.
It is estimated the total cassette market is at 2.5 million per year of which 90 per cent is pirated. Cosota is a statutory body established in 2001 to promote creativity and protect the rights of owners.
It functions both as a copyright office responsible for implementing the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act, No 7/1999 and as a collective management society for owners rights, who have mandated it to administer the rights on their behalf.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
Kilimanjaro comes third out of 26 regions of Tanzania, according to an official tapes and movies distributor in the country, the Tanzania Film Makers Association.
Piracy is very rampant here in Arusha, leaving many artists empty-handed as millions of shillings land in the hands of illegal dealers, a member of the association, Ignatius Kambarage said.
The situation is quite similar to other parts of the country, which are flooded with pirated music and movies, he noted.
However, a survey carried out by The Guardian in Arusha Municipal Council showed that traders in the industry had been selling pirated movies openly.
Areas popular for the illegal business include Mianzini, Sombetini, Majengo, Mbauda, Pangani, Stand ndogo, Esso, Unga Ltd, Sakina, Kwa Ngulelo, Tengeru, among others.
I cant remember if I have ever bought any original CD because whenever I want to get a new tape I just go to a shop to press an order, said Joseph Ole Saitu, a resident of Majengo suburb in the municipality.
He said pirated CDs were very cheap compared to the original ones, which is sold at 7,000/- each.
But copies sell between 1,000/- and 1,500/- each depending on the shop and the price is affordable for low income earners, he remarked.
Another Arusha-based resident, who preferred anonymity, said Tanzanian movies were sold at a cheaper price in the neighbouring Kenya.
He explained that some businesspeople often went to Nairobi and buy Tanzanian movies in a five-in-one form, like the Nigerian movies.
They are plenty in Arusha and most of these are made in Nairobi, Kenya, he said.
Kambarage, who is a distributor and artist from Steps Entertainment Company said: We are losing millions of shillings from this illegal business.
He said the Copyright Society of Tanzania (Cosota), traders who possessed valid licences were authorised to sell original work and not copies.
The government is also losing billions of shillings from the film industry as the money goes into people, who do evade tax, he added.
Khatib Musa an artist with Jumba la Dhahabu lamented that the situation was very bad in Tanzanias film industry.
People are no longer interested in buying original movies but rather they are purchasing the pirated ones because they are cheaper, he said, urging the responsible authorities to contain the problem.
Regional police commander Basilio Matei admitted the problem was widespread, saying his office was working on the crime to contain it for good.
According to a recent survey by Polygram Records Ltd, tape piracy is one of the major problems in African music distribution.
It is estimated the total cassette market is at 2.5 million per year of which 90 per cent is pirated. Cosota is a statutory body established in 2001 to promote creativity and protect the rights of owners.
It functions both as a copyright office responsible for implementing the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act, No 7/1999 and as a collective management society for owners rights, who have mandated it to administer the rights on their behalf.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
