Burna Boy can’t be Fela one minute and not Fela the next, he needs to pick a struggle [Pulse Editor’s Opinion]

Those who call on Burna Boy to become the voice of his people understand that he's become way too big to protest from an air-conditioned studio.

Omoyele Sowore who publishes Sahara Reporters, has caused quite a stir and ruffled quite some feathers on social media platform, Twitter, after he called out Burna Boy for not leading any protests since he became a global brand, even though the Afro-fusion singer considers himself something of a modern day revolutionary.

“Hello @burnaboy, everywhere I turn people describe you as a revolutionary musician, the foreign media even celebrate you and compare you to Fela Kuti, but I am yet to see you lead anyone to a police station carrying a coffin for head of state! Join #Oct1stProtest #RevolutionNow,” Sowore tweeted at Burna on Tuesday, September 29, 2020.

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Burna’s response was swift and punchy. He isn’t Fela, he said, and shouldn’t be coerced into acting like Fela. “Well. I am NOT FELA. I Have said that countless times. But you sir are a politician. Leave me out of your schemes. Thanks.

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“Everybody is a Fela fan and supporter now that he is dead. Humans are so Funny, You politicians are ALL the same (especially in Nigeria) and Frankly I don’t trust none of you. @YeleSowore,” Burna Boy added.

Burna has a point to the extent that you shouldn’t ask anyone to become who they don’t want to be or force them into taking on someone else’ identity.

However, Burna isn’t just anyone. He’s built an entire brand aping Fela, sounding like Fela, dancing like Fela and sampling Fela’s songs. He’s even showed up on stage shirtless, wearing just underpants and smoking weed just like Fela would.

Several new music acts in Nigeria have modelled themselves after Fela Kuti (The Nation)

If you wanna be Fela or one of his disciples so bad, it isn’t out of place for anyone to ask you to go the whole hog, even if that someone is a politician. And what is wrong with being a politician any way? Pejoratively dismissing Sowore’s views because he is some politician was rather ridiculous of Burna.

I am no fan of Sowore’s brand of politics, his meaningless, misguided protests or his vindictive, vendetta strewn brand of journalism. The man comes across as an attention seeker and a thorn in the flesh for all the wrong reasons. Of all the artists in the land however, he’s called out Burna for a reason and Burna has got to listen to him for a second.

Omoyele Sowore publishes Sahara Reporters (Youtube)

Burna has styled himself as the voice of the people and he’s scolded Nigerians for not protesting or for not speaking up against injustice.

In ‘Ye’, Burna waxes:

But my people dem go say

I no want kpai, I no want die

I no want kpeme, I want enjoy

I want chop life, I want buy motor

I want build house, I still want turn up.

In ‘Collateral damage’, Burna scolds a docile, scared people and gingers them to fight for their rights..

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Ambassador go dey chop

And Governor go dey chop

And President go dey chop

When dey say make we jump, we go jump.

My people sef they fear too much

We fear the thing we no see

One day all of us go die

We always get reason to fear

Fight for your right o you go to fear

Police go slap you, you go dey fear

Fight for your pikin dem no go dey fear

You go dey fear fear fear.

The rest of the world, like Sowore rightly notes, regard Burna as the voice of his people or the conscience of his nation.

Diddy worked on Burna Boy's 'Twice As Tall.' (Vanguard)

Sean Combs, a.k.a. Diddy, who executive-produced Burna’s latest body of work, Twice As Tall, says of the musician who was born Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu:

“The thing that I learned about him is the importance of what he’s doing for his nation and representing the people that aren’t really heard globally. Through this album, I think it’s important for Africa to be heard. And so it’s bigger than just an album. He’s not just on a musical artist trip. He’s a revolutionary. His conviction is serious.”

You can’t be referred to as a revolutionary by a global music icon like Diddy, rail against colonialism in ‘Monsters You Made’ and get in your feelings when people expect you to lead them into battle or expect more from you.

ALSO READ: Sowore vs. Burna Boy: The emulation of Fela or otherwise [Pulse Editor’s Opinion]

You don’t dress and smoke like Fela, sample his beats and chants and get defensive when folks ask you to go one better--lead from the front.

Revolutionaries aren’t content with leading from the studio or from the comfort of their homes. Music revolutionaries aren’t just content with churning out socially conscious tunes when it suits them.

Sometimes, they plunge themselves into the trenches like Fela, Ras Kimono, Oritz Wiliki, among others. They become the face of the struggle from the streets. They walk the song.

Burna Boy has many awards to his name (VIBZN)

When you are a Grammy nominee like Burna Boy with five sonically and revolutionary pleasing albums to your name, you do more than laugh at your people when you see your country headed in the wrong direction.

You become their voice from the studio and on the streets. You strive daily to earn your epaulet, come insults, come derision. The people's struggle becomes what keeps you awake at night. That's what an African giant would do.

It's also what happens when you become way too big or twice as tall.

That, in a nutshell, is what Sowore is asking for. We should cut the activist politician some slack on this one.

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*Pulse Editor's Opinion is the opinion of an editor at Pulse. It does not represent the views of the organisation Pulse.

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