Division Among Africans in and outside the Entertainment Industry 

Now more than ever I am aware of the fact that I am African before anything else, at least that is how I’m perceived as a black woman living in England, which is why the divide between Nigeria and Uganda this week has been particularly disheartening.

Earlier this week Nigerian artistes Omah Lay and Tems were arrested, handcuffed, imprisoned and then charged to court after a performance in Uganda. Their offence, according to the statement released by the Ugandan government was “negligently doing acts likely to spread infectious diseases” in this case it was performing at a concert.

A concert they were booked and flown into the country for. They didn’t just turn up; they were invited. The promoters of the event had publicized the event, so it wasn’t a secret. How and who approved this? Was there no due diligence, how did management allow this to happen?

I’m not saying that if they broke the law, they should be excused, if indeed a crime was committed, retribution is necessary. But in this case, the punishment does not seem to fit the “crime”, A fine would have been way more than appropriate in this instance, which is why I believe that this is much bigger than what we perceive it to be.

Omah Lay and Tems are being used to make a political statement. At first, I thought this was just about Uganda weaponizing Covid 19 as a tool for repression, but it’s also more than that.

Against the backdrop of historical tensions between Nigeria and Ghana, Xenophobia in South Africa and Now Uganda. This is a small sample of an obvious disconnect between African countries, this is not the first time that an African artist from another country has been treated in such manner, In 2019 Yvonne Chaka Chaka was deported by the Ugandan authorities, but Nigerians particularly get the short end of the stick from the rest of the world.

‘The green passport. Official travel document of Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa. Entitles the holder to extra scrutiny and harassment all over the world. Guaranteed. Have mine if you want to find out for yourself.” — A History of Nigeria, a documentary by Jide Olanrewaju Naij, as sampled in Burna Boy’s African Giant.

In 2019 the ‘Africa Unite’ concert that was scheduled to take place was cancelled when tensions began to rise between Nigerians and South Africans, reigniting from a Twitter beef between Burna Boy and AKA.

Every time I see a spat online, my heart breaks a little bit more.

Music was the one thing we all had in common, our universal language, but even that now is so polarized.

Perhaps it’s about more than popular culture or music, but we’ve always been connected through music, there was a time where Makosa dominated all the mainstream platforms, and then it was Hiplife; currently, it’s Nigerian ‘Afrobeats’. Nigeria has successfully been able to export only one thing to the rest of the world, and it’s music, it’s disheartening to see that even in this we’re still divided.

What’s the cause? Other countries have said that Nigerians are too proud, that we overstep our marks with others (like building multiple businesses in South Africa) that we love “exceptionalism” and we’re not special. On the other side of the coin, Nigerian’s have said that dominating pop culture is not a character flaw and they’re simply expressing themselves the best way they know-how.

I do understand where some of the resentment comes from in this case, Omah Lay and Tems being invited to perform over Ugandan artists is a snub to the local artists, but I would also argue that this is no different to the way international artists are treated when they go to African countries; doesn’t make it right, but it’s no secret that they are given more reverence than national artists.

African artists have been working together more than ever in recent years, songs like Master KG and Burna’s Jerusalema remix, Davido and Sauti Sol On my way, even with the blending of sounds like Amapiano made me think we were bridging the gap, but I may be wrong.

Elite artists are supposed to show everyone else that Africans in different sectors can work together effectively across countries, if we’re able to unite as One Africa successfully, we all stand to benefit in economic, social and creative ways that propel us forward.

No one country can monopolize struggle, we’re a collective in our fight against oppressors, Unity is the first step in winning this battle, but if our relationships continue to disintegrate, how far can we go?

Omah Lay and Tems have since been released without charge, but I agree with Audu Maikori that this situation has shown the hate lines between African countries. Still, it’s also a teachable moment for everyone involved, From the artist to the management and promoters as well as Nigerians, Ugandans and all Africans at large.

Lastly, stay up to date with all you need to know about African music at SOA, right here.