Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has defended Afrobeats singer David Adeleke popularly known as Davido, over a controversial music video which offended some Muslims.
Davido shared a video by his record label signee, Logos Olori, which reportedly showed men dancing outside a mosque.
The video in question featured men dressed as praying mallams dancing in front of a mosque as part of the promotion for Logos Olori’s new song, ‘Jaye Lo.’ This sparked controversy, with some Muslims demanding an apology from Davido.
In a letter titled “Davido Video” released on Tuesday, Soyinka dismissed the notion that dancing in front of a mosque is a provocative act. Instead, he views it as an “affirmation of the unified sensibility of the spiritual in human.”
Soyinka does acknowledge that he has not personally seen the video clip but firmly supports the artist’s right to use dance in a religious setting, considering it a fundamental freedom for all artists. He argues that dancing around a religious space is a universal heritage and, in the case of Islam, a plot of land can become a sacral space for worship.
Regarding the calls for an apology, Soyinka disagrees with Senator Sheu Sani and other aggrieved Muslims, stating that no apology is required, and none should be offered. He advises against resorting to contrived contrition and encourages society to focus on pursuing justice instead.
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Soyinka also points out that Davido’s music is not responsible for the injustices and incidents of violence related to religious dissent in society. He highlights the lynching of Deborah Samuel Yakubu and the imprisonment of atheists like Mubarak Bala as real issues that should provoke collective anger and action.
In conclusion, Soyinka defends the artist’s right to artistic expression and urges those offended to boycott Davido’s products peacefully, rather than resorting to negativity and incitement.
Several high-profile figures have condemned the video, including former lawmaker Shehu Sani, who tweeted that Davido should apologize because fans were “offended” by the video.
Bashir Ahmad, an adviser to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, wrote to his 1.6 million followers that the content was “absolutely disrespectful hurtful and offensive”.
“We Muslims don’t mix our religion with jokes in any way,” he wrote, especially anything to do with prayers.
On Wednesday morning, two Nigerian media outlets reported that Davido’s manager, Israel Afeare, had apologized on Instagram over the controversial video.
However, the reported apology no longer appears on his Instagram account.
Neither Davido himself, nor Logos Olori, the artist whose song Jaye Lo was promoted in the video, has commented.