DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (AP) - The Tanzanian government has banned a popular dance song that contains the verse saying, "Give me AIDS, so that I can suffer with it," because it is promoting the spread of the disease, an official said Wednesday.
"We believe the song contains a message that goes against efforts to fight AIDS," Shogholo Chali, executive secretary of Tanzania's National Arts Council, told The Associated Press.
He said the ban was imposed Tuesday.
Chali said the song in Swahili by the Young Stars Modern Taraab, titled Segere (Give me, I give you), contains a verse that says: "Give me AIDS, Give me AIDS, Give me AIDS, so that I can suffer with it."
Taraab, is a popular dance style along the East African coast, sometimes with very intimate movements.
Chali said the government is not considering legal action against the group, unless it refuses to accept the ban. He said the three-months old song should not be aired on radio or television stations; performed in concerts; and its distribution and sale is now outlawed.
It was not immediately possible to reach the group for comment.
Earlier this month, the song was mentioned in parliament for making a mockery of the fight against AIDS.
An estimated 2 million of Tanzania's 32 million people are infected with HIV - the virus that causes AIDS.