South African media personality, dancer and performer, Zodwa Wabantu, has officially been prohibited from performing at the upcoming Amapiano Vibes event in Malawi. The banning emanates directly from Malawi’s Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Wildlife.
The controversial South African performer, who was expected to perform in Malawi on June 11th, at Dominic’s Hotel in Blantyre, will unfortunately be unable to meet her entertainment obligations. This comes amid official word from Malawi’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and Wildlife, Micheal Usi, that Zodwa’s performance behaviours are not appropriate for Malawian audiences and as such, it should not be permitted within country.
The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Wildlife has said that while an official application for an entertainment permit was submitted on behalf of the South African performer, the country’s censorship board was not at all impressed with Zodwa’s previous on-stage behaviours upon reviewing her application.
In a statement regarding the outcome of Zodwa’s application, the Ministry has said, “In processing the application, the censorship board had to review pictures and video clips that are in circulation depicting Zodwa Wabantu on stage” they further added that Zodwa has amassed her fame and built her career on the premise of “morally degrading” performance behaviour – alluding to Zodwa’s occasional exposure of her intimate body parts during on-stage performances.
In downright rejecting the application, the Ministry has said, “This Ministry has not cleared Zodwa to perform in Malawi or to be part of the event in any other capacity. The application for the entertainment permit has been turned down as guided by the provisions of the Censorship and Control of Entertainment Act.”
However, being banned from performing in different African countries is not entirely new to Zodwa. In 2017, her show in Zimbabwe was cancelled after she reportedly refused to agree to perform while wearing underwear, as demanded by the rules of the country. Similarly, in 2018, the dancer was also banned from performing in Zambia, as authorities asserted that the nature of her performances undermined the country’s “national values”.