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Gospel singer launches political barbs via websiteby Staff Reporter
Arusha-born Swahili gospel singer, Faustin Munishi, who recently turned into political activism has now decided to fight for his course via a Netfirm hosted Website. Munishi, who has so far released seven music albums the latest one being the controversial "Mpende Adui" (Love your enemy) released in 2000 has attested to fight against the Tanzanian ruling party (CCM) until its downfall. The former resident of Unga Limited slums resident who now enjoys a posh Ngong Hills residence in Kenya claims through the website publication that he has been "anointed by God" to free Tanzanians from the country’s ruling party. To drive the point home, Munishi attacks the party in the lyrics of the opening track for his Volume Seven album "Mpende Adui". In his website, Munishi displays a number of headed links including the one entitled, "Wasikilize waongo!" (Listen to the liars), Which upon clicking, directs one into the Tanzanian National Website. Born 44 years ago, Munishi used to work as a painting artist in Arusha. He then changed his vocation in 1980 when he acquired an accordion and started to sing old Sunday school themes such as "Niko Chini ya Mwamba" which became a Kenyan number one single in 1990. Munishi became a born again Christian in 1980 and joined the Evangelist, Bishop Mosses Kulola’s entourage as a singer before ditching the old preacher for a solo music career in the Nairobi city of Kenya. Munishi’s debut album recorded a mild success but it was his second one, "Niko Chini ya Mwamba" which put the singer into big business. In 1989 he came back to Arusha and married one, Prisca, with whom they sang a duet in the opening track for the third album "Yesu na Wewe" (Jesus and you). From then, the wife never sang in public again, thus causing the wide speculations that she had actually ditched the singer and eloped with a "Mzungu"( foreigner) to America. In 1993, Munishi made another trip to Arusha (in a sleek white Mercedes Benz) to refute the allegations and he did it at an open air crusade in Unga Limited, where the wife accompanied him in a musical number, just to prove that she was still around. Munishi has three children, the oldest being Mojashi, who immediately after being born, her father formed a singing group in Nairobi and called it "Mojashi choir". The choir collapsed later and so did Munishi’s own newspaper, whose first and only copy came out in 1996. Most of the newspaper material has however been restored in his new website, which like the print version, is full of Munishi’s various profiles in the positive and his ‘enemies’ in the negative. He launches open written attacks onto the US. He also had a song about it in his volume 7 track "Msiabudu America" (Don’t worship the US) in which he accuses America of denying people visas. Also on the receiving end of Munishi’s attacks are journalists and local media houses with the exception of KBC (Kenya Broadcasting Corporation),which helped to boost his musical career back in the mid eighties and BBC which granted him a full interview during his tug of war with the Government of Tanzania, which he confesses to hate. The Munishi website also offers free Email addresses. Subscribers have to use the @munishi.net name after their first names.
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