If You Sell Musoma, Where Will You Live?

Adeladius Makwega – Mbagala

On Saturday, May 9, 2026, Mwanakwetu visited a social media page belonging to a Tanzanian young woman known as Viola Mtetezi, who shares various social topics depending on the current situation in Tanzania. On that day, she posted a short video featuring songs from different Tanzanian tribes, dancing gracefully and confidently.

Honestly, Mwanakwetu admits that when he watched the clip, he was so captivated that he almost drooled. If there had been people around him—oh dear—where would he have hidden his embarrassment? Where would he have hidden his face? Luckily, he was alone. He wiped his drool with his old handkerchief and continued scrolling through Viola Mtetezi’s content like a true investigator that day.

He watched all the videos one after another, becoming especially fascinated with one that featured a song with the lyrics:

“I’m selling Bunda, I’m selling Musoma,I’m selling Majita, I’m selling Kiabakari,I’m selling Tarime, I’m selling Nyamongo…”

Mwanakwetu wondered—what exactly is Viola Mtetezi selling? Has she become a broker?

In the comments, someone jokingly asked:

“My dear sister, if you sell Musoma, take it to Tarime market, then Bunda and Kiabakari—where will you live?”

This made Mwanakwetu laugh out loud. He replayed the video repeatedly as if he were in a music hall, asking the DJ to play it again and again—‘once more!’—forgetting he was alone.

As he continued reading comments, he saw someone named Twaha Kabajemi asking:

“So Musoma has beautiful women?”

Mwanakwetu replied silently in his heart:

“You’re only talking about Musoma? There’s also Tarime, Butiama, Bunda, Serengeti, and Rorya—things are intense there! There are stunning women everywhere. If you love natural dark beauty, they are plenty. If you prefer lighter complexions, there are some in Musoma town—descendants of Indians and Arabs from as far back as the 1880s. The women there are well-nourished, thanks to fish from Lake Victoria.”

Mwanakwetu kept reading comments while the video played, then saw another reader, Kiraka Kakwaya, who wrote:

“Home is home—embrace your roots.”

Mwanakwetu wasn’t sure whether Viola Mtetezi was originally from the Mara Region, but he decided he would ask her if he ever met her.

Viola Mtetezi danced to a clip resembling traditional Kurya dances like Litungu and Isubane, but the song itself was modern. It’s called “Nauza Bunda, Musoma na Tarime” by an artist known as Chief Maker.

From a logical perspective, Mwanakwetu explains that the artist doesn’t literally mean selling towns. Instead, he means he is spreading or “selling” his music (his art) in those areas—Bunda, Musoma, Tarime, Kiabakari, and Nyamongo. That’s why he praises DJs who play his music.

The mentioned places are well-known towns in the Mara Region of Tanzania.

Mara Region is home to strong, energetic traditional dances like Litungu. However, Mwanakwetu notes that such powerful dances often face challenges and are rarely given space at national events.

These dances involve strength and sometimes props like sticks, bows, or spears—similar to dances of the Maasai, Nyamwezi, and Sukuma. Because of their intensity, they are often sidelined in favor of softer dances like Mganda from Ruvuma.

This issue, Mwanakwetu argues, is not new—it dates back to independence day on December 9, 1961. During live broadcasts from Uhuru grounds, famous announcers Godfrey Mgodo and David Wakati described the performances, but notably, strong traditional dances were absent.

Mwanakwetu emphasizes that these powerful traditional dances are important. They build strength, identity, and cultural pride among youth. Mwanakwetu argues they even help instill discipline and awareness of identity in modern society.