By Bash Mutumba
The story of deadbeat dads doesn’t change much, regardless of the part of the world you’re in. Tanzanian Bongo Flava star Diamond Platnumz, 29, was abandoned by his father a few months after primary school, and he has seemingly refused to forgive him for it, roughly two decades later.
Reportedly due to abject poverty, Mzee Abdul Juma Isaac split from his family, leaving young Diamond and his mother Sandra to fend for themselves. Diamond went on to drop out of high school, and start hawking second-hand clothes to try and support his family, then that he was the man of the house. With the unwavering support of his mother, Naseeb ventured into music, and his first single, “Kamwambie”, propelled him to fame.
Diamond would go on to attain international acclaim after “Number One Remix” featuring Davido, and his works Rick Ross, Morgan Heritage, Omarion, P Square and Ne-Yo. His hard work and determination enabled him to build Wasafi Empire, which includes a Record Label with successful artists, a Media House, a video production company and other businesses. All the while, he has not embraced his father, and it is his mom that enjoys the fruits of his hardwork.
Asked about when he last met his son, a frail Mzee Abdul revealed, “He last came here during the time he was dating Wema Sepetu. I can’t go to his place because I am scared – he is a rich man – what if he pulls out a weapon on me? I am really sick. My legs hurt, and I clean people’s shoes to get something to eat, but till today, my son has refused to forgive me.”
Many commentators, wondering why he does a lot of charity for people he doesn’t know but chooses to ignore his own father, have urged Diamond to forget about the past and reconcile with his dad, but for whatever reason, the requests seem to be falling on deaf ears.