Music & Activism: Should Artistes Lead Revolutions?

Music and other forms of media have always had the ability to move the human spirit and unite people. It has been used to relate distress in a variety of matters from heartache to civil unrest. Music is an integral part of the different aspects of daily life and political and social expression can be seen in music from cultures all over the world. From patriotic songs like national anthems and allegiances to protest and anti-war songs; music has always been a backdrop for the human experience.

It began with folk music through which societies documented their history and culture and passed it on in the absence of written language. And then when music became more commercialized, music about society and social change became known as ‘topical music’. Regardless of the genre, topical music or protest songs boost the morales of generations demanding better from and for society.

Among social movements that have an associated body of songs are the slavery abolition movement, women’s suffrage, the human rights movement; civil rights, the feminist movement, the sexual revolution, the gay rights movement, gun control, and environmentalism.

Protest songs are often situational, having been associated with a social movement through context. A good example of this is Fela Kuti’s Suffering and Smiling which points out the cruelty of the Nigerian government; as well as the ordinary’s man docility when it came to demanding his rights to freedom from oppression.

Another example is Bella Ciao, the Italian anti-fascist song the resistance sang during World War II. Netflix hit TV show Money Heist recently made it popular again and now protesters all over the world use the song.

ALSO READ: How Money Heist Became A Global Phenomenon

Protest songs have the ability to either attract people to the movement and promote group solidarity and commitment or offer a straightforward social or political message designed to change political opinion.

Music and song can maintain a movement even when it no longer has a visible presence in the form of organizations, leaders, and demonstrations; and can be a vital force in preparing the emergence of a new movement.

Musicians as revolutionary icons

Artistes like The Beatles, Nina Simone, and Nigeria’s own Fela Kuti were voices of individual revolutions and made music that provoked social change.

Fela Kuti released a slew of music in the 1980s criticizing the Nigerian government that was led by the Military Head of State, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo. Fela criticized the government for corruption, stealing, its elevation of public officials and impoverishing the people. Fela’s actions went on to earn him international acclaim and a national following; but would cost him broken bones, suffering and culminate in the death of his mother. To this day, Nigerian artistes cite Fela as the leader of the musical revolution.

The Nigerian music pop scene, even as it transformed from Fela’s Afrobeat to reggae, would continue its activism into the late 80s; with Majek Fashek’s Police Brutality, Ras Kimono’s Under Pressure, and Orits Wiliki’s Fight the Fire that tackled the badly behaved police force, poverty, and justice respectively.

These tunes would spark some protest fires amongst the university students at the time.

The 90s would not see much activism; as the Nigerian entertainment industry adjusted slowly to the country’s dwindling fortune. It also suffered censorship due to the heavy military influence throughout the period. However, when the music scene reawakened, activism was not far from it.

Back in 2004, Eedris Abdulkareem released Jaga Jaga, which was satirical retribution of the government in power led by then-president Olusegun Obasanjo. Eedris sang about the decay of Nigeria at that time; categorically talking about how the poor suffered while the rich continued to live large.

This obviously struck a chord with the realities of living in Nigeria so much so that the then-President Obasanjo condemned the song.

Before one knew it, the song had become a certified hit that the masses chorused from all over the country. And soon, the government came calling. According to several sources, then president Obasanjo came on TV to say the “artiste that sang that Jagajaga song, na im papa and mama be Jagajaga.”

This was the beginning of the war of words between the ex-president and Eedris. Wikipedia even reports that the song was banned from radio on the orders of Obasanjo. Both will later go on to fire several shots at each other.

With democracy reigning, musical activism only became more blatant as years rolled by. Every artiste to ever make the airwaves dedicated a song or two to speak out against the suffering in Nigeria.

African China, one of the last guerilla hip hop stars dedicated his album to speaking about the ills of life in Nigeria. In his music, he talked about extreme poverty and how the government had to take responsibility for the people that put them in power.

One of the most popular of these songs was Mr President

Afropop artiste 2Baba has made socially conscious hits like E Be Like Say; which talks about the fake promises of politicians and the indifference that follows once they get into office; and For Instance, a song about his inability to stay silent about the corruption of the Nigerian government.

The defunct Afropop duo P-Square had a hit song Oga Police, which is basically about the harassment that Nigerians suffer in the hands of policemen. The song, which came out over a decade ago; still applies to the experiences of young Nigerians who have been victims of police brutality.

Falz has also been a protest music maker; his most vocal piece of activism being This is Nigeria, a cover of Donald Glover’s This is America. His most recent album, Moral Instruction attacks every aspect of Nigerian societal ills, from government failures to domestic abuse.

Burna Boy has also centred the Nigerian condition in his music; with Another Story and Monsters You Made among others which have succinctly passed messages across to the people intended. He has also made many music videos with visuals to that effect.

ALSO READ: Burna Boy: #EndSARS is the Start of a Revolution

As such, it has become quite normal for multiple heavyweights in the music industry have always lent a track or two to speak about the struggles of being Nigerian.

Across genres, activism has been expressed and the people always listened and related. With the rise of social media and its use by the masses to speak with one voice, activism has only grown louder and with it the influence of artistes. 

Should artistes lead protests?

The rise of social media revolutionized entertainment as celebrities became more accessible to their fans. The public began to want more than just entertainment. They wanted access to celebrities’ private lives and eventually, in an increasingly politically correct and sensitive world; fans wanted to know their favourite celebrities’ politics. They wanted to know where they stood on certain issues; whether or not they were worth this massive platform their fans gave to them.

By today’s standards, this fishbowl phenomenon would probably have damned many celebrities of the past; even those that were considered progressive for their time. Now, everyone is doing what they can to avoid being “dragged” or “cancelled”. Microblogging platform Twitter has become somewhat of a correctional facility for erring celebrities.

A very recent example of this is when Toyin Abraham decided to promote her new movie Fate of Alakada while #EndSARS protests were going on on Twitter. The actress was severely reprimanded for it and is now an advocate for the movement. Other celebrities have come correct from the jump; promoting the hashtags, being vocal on social media and donating to the cause.

ALSO READ: Falz Seeks Continuity of #EndSARS Protest

Others have mobilized and joined youths to protest, like Falz, Wizkid, YCee, Mr P, Small Doctor, Mr Macaroni, and a host of actors and artistes. Celebrities keep the spirit up; motivating young people to carry on because their idols sympathize with their oppression, support them, and are willing to fight for them and amplify their voices.

During the #EndSARS protest in Anambra State, highlife artiste Flavour used his platform to warn the youths to remain peaceful for the entirety of the protest, protect each other, and then he told the men not to sexually harass the women. And of course, that makes a huge difference; Flavour’s involvement is very influential to young protesters particularly of Igbo heritage and he will be listened to because he is a celebrity. 

In response to their activism, the Enugu state government not only threatened them; but put up Phyno and Flavour’s pictures on billboards publicly asking them to “not blackmail the state government”.

Back in 2019, 2Baba tried to start a protest against the rising costs of goods and services. The protest gained a lot of traction with various public figures tweeting their support before he cancelled it due to “security reasons”.

However, there are some who think celebrities should not be involved in revolutionary movements to begin with as they “cheapen” the movement. More so, they believe that the original intentions of non-celebrity revolutionary leaders get skewed the more celebrated they become.

In the words of American political activists Huey Newton, “Too many so-called leaders of the movement have been made into celebrities and their revolutionary fervour destroyed by mass media. They become [Hollywood] objects and lose identification with real issues. The task is to transform society; only the people can do that — not heroes, not celebrities, not stars.”

ALSO READ: EndSARS: Arise TV, 2 Other Stations Fined Over Coverage

There is indeed the tendency for celebrities to divert attention from the movement by stealing the spotlight and making it about them because that is what they are used to. Celebrities themselves have argued that they should not be seen as leaders of the movement. An example is Burna Boy, who has continually refuted comparisons between him and Fela, the archetypal celebrity activist.

In an interview with TIME Magazine for their list of Next Generation Leaders, Burna Boy said, “I’m just here to sing according to what my eyes have seen and what my spirit is telling me”. And the Alarm Clock singer seemed to mean that he was indeed nothing more than an artiste; as he was absent during the early days of the #EndSARS protest.

Fans felt so betrayed by this because activism formed the basis of the singer’s rhetoric. Burna Boy songs were skipped over at protests and he got dragged on Twitter by those who felt he was using activism as an aesthetic.

“This is not and should not be about me, it is about a fundamental problem that affects us all as Nigerians, as Africans, and as human beings,” Burna Boy said in his defence when the public questioned his absence during the #EndSARS protests.

While Burna Boy has still not led any protests, he did step up to the challenge later; funding #EndSARS electric billboards all over the country. Following the mass murder of protesters at the Lekki toll gate by government security forces; Burna Boy released a song reminiscent of Timaya’s Dem Mama, detailing what happened at the massacre. Tiwa Savage also recently dropped a music video that shows Nigerian youths punishing corrupt politicians.

ALSO READ: Tiwa Savage Drops Political Visuals for ‘Ole’ Featuring Naira Marley

With the tendency of the oppressive class to gaslight society into disbelieving events they witnessed directly and lived through; we cannot overstate the importance of documentation through media. And so far, celebrities have helped, not only to mobilize and amplify the voices of the movement; but also document it and keep it from being erased by those who benefit from oppression.

DJ Switch’s Instagram Live broadcasted the events at the Lekki Tollgate plaza to over 150,000 people. Tiwa Savage’s message to Beyonce spurred support from the Black is King star towards the #ENDSARS protests. Falz has spoken to international news outlets to give a factual report of what is actually going on and not what the government would have the international community believing.

With Flavour and Phyno taking hits for protesting in Enugu; and Ycee leading the #ENDSARS protesters at FESTAC, one of Lagos’ teeming districts; it is without a doubt that it is possible for celebrities to lead without making it about themselves.

Music has always amplified the power of activism. The weaknesses of its association with noble causes may be exploited. The opponents of the activist might try to invalidate the cause by attaching the character of the musicians at the helm of it. But, there is no doubt that music is one of the loudest ways to communicate the revolution. It is also important in keeping mental morale up as people will have a good time.