This is a country - not a supermarket
Because I've been screaming this since I was thirteen years old - and someone's got to hear me.
From the start of the anti-SARS protests, our nation’s youth have been supported by big names like Falz, Tiwa Savage, and Davido. Not only have they tweeted their support for the “#EndSARS” and “#SARSMustEndNow” movements, they have also backed up their online dissent with physical action, marching with protesters in Abuja, Lagos, London and Houston. Indeed, they’ve put their money where their mouths are, supporting the communities they know and the youths who contributed to making them the legends they are now.
Whilst the vociferous protests from their end have been priceless for our cause, one can’t help but notice that not all Nigeria-affiliated stars have spoken up about our cause – and their silence has been deafening. Stars like rapper Cardi B – who famously declared her love for Nigeria and her desire to gain our country’s citizenship – remain silent. Beyonce, who featured Nigerian culture extensively in her Black Is King visual album, remains silent. The South African comedic superstar, Trevor Noah, remains silent. The ensemble cast of Marvel hit Black Panther, remain silent. These stars were quick to voice their support for the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement – where are they now, when the same Black lives are being crushed?
I have nothing but respect for most of these personalities: I’ve adored Trevor Noah since I watched his one-man shows at 14 and I stan every Black Panther cast-member. I’m not asking for them to be bashed – all I’m asking is that they unite the same way the entire world united behind the BLM movement. That Africans at home, in the diaspora, and African-Americans realise that this isn’t an isolated incident – it’s a collective problem that we must address together. Let us all recognise that Black lives cannot matter anywhere else until they begin to matter at the source, Africa. That if Black lives are seen as nothing at home, then we have ZERO hope that they will be treated as anything abroad.
Secondly, I’m tired of people treating African (especially Nigerian) culture like it’s a supermarket: shopping for and checking out the things they like, dropping the things they don’t. It is an insult to our way of life, an invalidation of our daily experiences as Africans who do not have the privilege to enjoy jollof rice and ankara clothes one second, then jet off to escape SARS brutality the next. If you want to love Nigeria, you have to be acknowledge every part of her – the beautiful and the hideous. Don’t claim to love Nigeria, then remain silent when the blood of her citizens is painting the streets. Don’t claim to love Nigerians when you have no issue with collecting our money for concert tickets, but none with our deaths. Understand that we are human beings with lives that are currently threatened by the people who are supposed to be protecting us. Understand that if you do not speak up now, history will never forgive you and you will have no rights to our land.
But, circling back to the positive, I thank everyone who has used their platform for good. The ones who have organised online and physical protests, the ones who have louded our plight until it’s received international recognition. We will not forget you for standing up for our lives.
And, as always, thank you to the brave Nigerian warriors (both on Twitter and the streets) who have decided you won’t take it sitting anymore. That it is your time to arise and claim the tomorrow the government has always promised and taken away from us. You inspire me and I stan you. Keep fighting for the future we deserve, and I know I’ll see you on the other side.