Of Entertainers and Political Participation
This past weekend, Nigeria held the first leg of its general elections: millions of citizens went out to cast their vote for the choice for president and federal legislators. Next weekend, they’ll undergo the same exercise, this time to choose their state governors and state legislators. As is customary, it hasn’t been devoid of controversy. However, with an extra layer – the candidacy of a third contender has driven the stakes higher than ever, and tensions are drawn tight.
Throughout the campaign, there has been some measure of involvement by artistes and entertainers. For example, singer Banky W ran twice to win a seat at the National Assembly (he didn’t win, by the way). Actress Funke Akindele also is running as the deputy governor candidate in Lagos State. Others not on the ballot have campaigned vigorously for their preferred leader, rapper Falz being the most visible. His participation in social issues peaked during the END SARS protests of 2020. Davido, whose family has a long history of politics, is never quiet – except now that he’s mourning the tragedy that befell him towards the end of last year.
However, during the 2023 elections, fans have had much to say about those who didn’t get involved. Comedian Basketmouth was among the first to experience the ire of those who felt that him having his stand-up tour in February was unfair to his fellow citizens who would be voting. He explained that the dates had long been fixed and he couldn’t move them. Perhaps, the most vigorous critique has been of Burna Boy. By-election morning, several tweets and comments had trolled him for being revolutionary only in pretence. They used lyrics from his Common Person track to mock him for being absent and muted as things unfolded. Not one to take criticism quietly, he said through his Instagram story that he doesn’t believe in any political leader and would be blamed if he does support one who ends up being a bad leader.
It then throws up the question, what should be the role of Burna Boy, Wizkid and the rest in the political process? Are they mandated to get involved and throw their weight behind a candidate? Does it make them hypocrites if they sing about things getting better and do not play a role in electioneering? To me, not necessarily.
In an ideal world, entertainers would lend their voices to social causes and use their big platforms to advance political awareness. We’ve seen it many times in the past: Fela, Sunny Okosuns, Mariam Makeba, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, Brenda Fassie, Angelique Kidjo… the list is long. So it’s expected that those of a contemporary era who live in these present times are willing to take a stand. That said, the world is anything but ideal.
Political activism is not something that can be forced upon any person. Even if they sing about it, it doesn’t mean they must be at the forefront of anything. Being non-political and apolitical is a way of life that several other artistes have chosen in the past. It doesn’t make them “evil” or “hypocritical”, two of the adjectives Nigerians use in these cases.
The truth is activism cannot be outsourced. Artistes themselves are imperfect and fallible. It wasn’t long after END SARS when Burna Boy was forced into making a statement and showing up at a protest in London that he won his Grammy Award and was feted by the governor of his home state, Neysom Wike. Instructively, Wike had proscribed any form of protest in Rivers at the time. It’s not Burna’s fault that he did, but several fans felt it wasn’t right for him to accept gifts from the governor.
Not every artiste will be a Fela Kuti, and I don’t think the audience has a right to demand that they become one. People, indeed, have different approaches. Fela was what he was – fiery, unyielding and defiant to the last. His brother Olikoye was more of a passive resistor. There’s the Malcolm X approach and the Martin Luther King Jr approach. One is not less than the other.
More importantly, citizens who want change cannot wait for artistes to get going. Yes, it would be nice if they did, but we cannot demonize or wait for them if they don’t. In the words of Asa, who’s responsible for what we teach our children: is it the internet or stars on television? The answer is in all of us. Cheers to entertainers that join in the struggle. Cheers to those who decide on another method or not to join in. In the end, each person is responsible for himself.
Jide Taiwo is a writer and media executive. He’s based in Lagos, Nigeria and tweets via @thejidetaiwo.
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Of Entertainers and Political Participation
