Vanessa Mdee exposes prominent Tanzanian manager

Vanessa Mdee, one of Tanzania's top artists renowned for her Bongo Flava music in the past years, has revealed the challenges she faced while striving to make a living through music.

Speaking on a joint podcast with her partner, Rotimi, in the United States, Mdee narrated how she came to know the dark side of the Bongo Flava industry, where some artists breakthrough through the use of witchcraft and sorcery.

She recounted an incident where she once approached a prominent manager seeking to work under him, but the manager candidly informed her that to work with them, she must understand that their company employs witchcraft to make their artists successful.

"I once approached one of the most famous managers in Tanzania at the time, telling him I would like to work under his leadership, and he told me without batting an eye that if you come under our management, you must understand that we use witchcraft," Vanessa Mdee narrated.

The artist said that the manager told her that before any of their artists released music, they had to go through witchcraft rituals.

To her amazement, Mdee said that she recoiled and made it clear to the manager that she feared God.

"I asked him, 'Do you know I believe in God?' He replied that he knew, but said that was one of the things they did. I refused their demands and walked out of their meeting, never to follow up on those discussions again," she said.