Culture

Fally Ipupa begs Congolese in diaspora not to protest at his shows

Published

6 months ago

November 3, 2023

One of Democratic Republic of Congo’s biggest music stars, Fally Ipupa has begged his countrymen in the diaspora not to use any of his upcoming shows to stage protests against the government of the country.

The star whose hit track, “Un Coup” where he featured Congolese-French singer, Dadju, has been viewed more than 80 million times on YouTube, with his live performances attracting thousands of fans, made the appeal following a protest at one of his gigs at the Kinshasa’s Stadium of Martyrs last year where 11 people reportedly lost their lives while hundreds of others were injured.

Also in 2020 when he performed in Paris, France, there were riots outside the venue of the event, with protesters setting fire to bins and motorbikes, in a protest the French authorities linked to politics back home.

In the same vein, many Congolese in the diaspora have tried to stop musicians from the troubled African country from performing in Europe in order to show their opposition to politicians back home, accusing the big stars of being too close to power and failing to speak out against abuses happening in DR Congo.

As he prepares for his concerts coming up in December in London, Paris and Brussels, and with elections scheduled to hold back home at the same period, the star has pleaded with the Congolese communities not to use his shows to stage a protest.

“Most of the people know now that I don’t do political things. I am just a musician and they have realised that you cannot punish your child all his life,” he said in an interview with the BBC.

Ipupa said he did have some sympathy for those who boycotted his concerts but felt it was time to move past politics and support DR Congo’s music industry.

“I agree that things were happening politically which were not correct in DR Congo, and I’ve always told them that I agree with certain of the protesters who wanted to get the message across and raise awareness in people.

“But now the time has come to say, look guys, we have punished the artists, we have slowed down Congolese culture, it’s time to show the world that we have very, very strong music,” he enthused.

He also feels that “Congolese music has really suffered, losing its place in Europe to music from Nigeria, Ghana and Jamaica” as a result of political turmoil.

“Nigerian Afrobeats artists are now filling the major venues that Congolese artists used to fill 10 years ago,” he lamented.

But he says he is confident that this can change.

“Congolese music is one of the most beautiful and rich, we have many talented artists, so if our brothers and sisters in Europe say no more blocking of Congolese music in Europe, trust me we’re going to take our place in the world,” he predicts.

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Culture

Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie fires shots at Davido, Wizkid, Burna Boy, Asake in new single ‘Brag’

Published

2 days ago

May 13, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Ghanaian rapper, Michael Owusu Addo, popularly known as Sarkodie, has sparked a new round of storm after he fired shots at Nigerian Afrobeats singers, Davido, Wizkid, Burna Boy and Asake in his new single, “Brag.”

In the single which dropped on Friday, May 10, Sarkodie boasted about his 2016 sell-out performance at the O2 Arena, claiming he paved the way for the Nigerian acts.

The Ghanaian rapper said he laid the light for Nigerian Afrobeats top artistes and as such, they should be grateful to him and his pioneering role in projecting their careers.

The “Painkiller” hitmaker boasted about selling out the O2 in 2016, long before the Nigerian stars and created the platform they are now enjoying.

He went on to place himself in the same league as Grammy Award-winning Burna Boy and Ghanaian rapper, Black Sherif.

Sarkodie also stated that his main competitors in the music industry were American rappers Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole, noting that he wasn’t on the same level as African rappers.

A line from the song goes:

“Wizkid came, I was already doing it, Davido started, I was improving it, then Odogwu came through Black Sherif & Asake.”

The release of “Brag” has however, elicited controversy and heated debates within the African music community, with fans weighing in on Sarkodie’s bold assertions and the perceived rivalry between him and the mentioned Nigerian artists.

Culture

Kenyan officials arrest four Tiktokers for filming robbery prank video outside police station

Published

4 days ago

May 11, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Kenyan Police authorities have arrested four young Tiktokers for filming a robbery prank outside a police station in the Kilifi North Sub-county.

Local media reports that the four young people who were aiming for social media fame, were arrested after filming and publishing on Tiktok a fake robbery outside the police station.

“The four young people, one of whom is 17 years old, made a video titled ‘wezi mbele ya police station’ (robbery outside a police station), and posted it on the popular video platform. However, police didn’t take it lightly,” one report wrote.

“In the video, a seemingly drunk man exits the Administration Police (AP) canteen and gets robbed by two others on a motorcycle.

“The 18-year-old cameraman was among those arrested. Police identified them through CCTV footage at the AP canteen. The youths were arrested at their homes in Kilifi, with the oldest being 27 years old,” another report said.

The Kilifi North Sub-county Police Commander, Kenneth Maina, who confirmed the incident and arrest of the suspects, said investigations are still ongoing, and the suspects will face charges, including cybercrimes.

“The viral video of a daylight robbery at the Kilifi Administration Police canteen in Kilifi was not real but a prank by a group of youths creating content for their TikTok account,” Maina said.

Maina said they were pursuing another suspect who was still at large, adding that the youths revealed they only wanted to attract followers to their TikTok account.

“There were five youths and we managed to arrest four of them and the other one we have a crucial lead that will lead us to an arrest,” the Police Commander said.