Tanzania’s John Kitime optimistic about copyright law

Local stakeholders from creative industries and officials from the Copyright Society of Tanzania (COSOTA) attended the meeting. Representatives from Nigeria, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda and the Zanzibar Isles also participated in the seminar that was on 27 and 28 November in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Kitime stressed the importance of knowledge and how musicians could use it to their advantage. However, he pointed out that local artists who did not understand that copyright law was central to their art would not see the importance of attending such events.

“We have a problem. There were artists who were invited to the seminar but none of them turned up,” he said, adding that the few who have managed to monetise their art have never come across copyright.

He said that in the digital age artists should be able to control their creations as they did not need middlemen.

During the seminar, the stakeholders agreed that the copyright office should be separated from the collective management organisation in order for the former to supervise the latter.

Addressing the participants, COSOTA CEO Doreen Anthony said more awareness programmes needed to be created.

"Copyright deals with an area where development is growing very fast," she said. The licensing areas are increasing every day. Therefore, it would be a waste of time if we only concentrated on a few rights while other new areas came up.”

Despite the no-show from artists, Kitime remains optimistic that with new legislation taking effect, TV and radio broadcasters will finally begin complying with copyright law and that artists will start reaping the benefits of their hard work.