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Nigerian concertgoers are fans whose love and devotion to Nigerian music are the primary reasons for the global ascension of Afrobeats. Nigerian fans are the people upon whose realities and efforts Afrobeats has become the biggest music export out of Africa. It will not only be fatally erroneous but also absolutely unforgivable to classify them as an expendable element in the scheme of things.
The purpose of this write-up is to highlight reasons why Nigerians are the most important factor in the ascension of Afrobeats and why they deserve better.
Afrobeats is rocketing its way around the globe and the faces of this ascension are the artists whose music drives it. However, the place of Nigerian fans/consumers in this ascension must not be belittled and it will in fact be an unforgivable oversight to deny their contribution.
Nigerian mainstream music or Afrobeats, as it's colorfully called, is made primarily for Nigerian consumers and it's their patronage that drives the success of the creators as well as their content.
The cultural export and soft power that propels the Nigerian entertainment industry and invariably Nigerian music is built on Nigerians both at home and abroad who display their identity and culture with pride. There can be no Afrobeats hit without the wide acceptance of Nigerian consumers and neither will there be megastars selling out arenas across the world to the envy of their African contemporaries without the soft power fuelled by Nigerians.
The painful act of victim blaming: One of the common reactions that trailed Burna Boy's disgraceful act at the poorly organised concert 'Lagos Loves Damini', was that Nigerian concertgoers lack self-respect and self-love as that was the only reason they would subject themselves to the continuous disrespect from Nigerian artists.
This reasoning, while understandable, is victim blaming and nothing but victim blaming.
In a situation where over 30,000 fans left the comfort of their homes on the first day of the year and forked out between 30,000 to 5 million naira to see Burna Boy, only to be kept waiting for 8 hours and insulted, the reaction shouldn't be blaming them for showing up or for their long-suffering. The reaction should be an investigation into why these fans were subjected to such humiliation and consumer abuse and ensure those responsible answer for it.
READ ALSO: Fans wait over 8 hours for a 1-hour performance at Burna Boy's 'Lagos Love Damini' Concert [Pulse Review]
That Burna Boy lacks basic human decency such that he would insult his fans after they waited for hours isn't the fault of concertgoers who paid good money to see him. It's an indictment of his person and legacy that he will turn around and treat his fans with barely concealed disdain like the elites he doesn't miss an opportunity to criticize for treating Nigerians like serfs.
Nigerian fans don't deserve to be shamed for waiting hours for an artist they paid a minimum of N30,000 to see perform live after spending a better part of the year streaming his international concerts.
Nigerian concertgoers shouldn't be blamed for buying the tickets for a show put together by an organizer who lacks the professionalism and know-how to execute such tasks.
Nigerian fans shouldn't be blamed for showing up year after year at these embarrassing concerts where they are subjected to consumer abuse while the Nigerian Consumer Protection body looks on hopelessly.
And surely, Nigerian concertgoers don't deserve to be called names because they choose to play their part by continuously supporting Nigerian music and artists like Burna Boy who treats them with underserved condescension.
What should be the preoccupation of everyone should be calling the organizers to order and demanding that the government protects its citizen from abuse.
Should Nigerian fans stop attending concerts as a form of protest?: In 2022, this writer penned an article on why Nigerian fans deserve better from Nigerian artists. The piece was inspired by the curious humility displayed by Rema, Omah Lay, and BNXN who tendered apologies to fans after putting up shambolic performances at Afronation Portugal.
It was interesting to find that Nigerian superstars who treat fans at home with barely concealed disdain and unwarranted condescension are so quick to apologize to Europeans. Perhaps, it's because they make most of their income from overseas and they are smart enough not to offend the paying consumers. And since for obvious economic reasons Nigerians don't constitute their major income pipeline they can be treated as second-hand citizens.
In the face of this continuous disrespect, should fans then decide to sit out concerts as a form of protest? This is not only impracticable but also disadvantageous.
It's impracticable for Nigerian fans to decide not to see their favourite artists perform live, especially when the opportunities are few and far in between.
Let us consider football fans whose teams put up disappointing performances match after match, but they keep showing up. Just like these football fans, Nigerian music fans are emotionally tethered to these artists and it's also their way of showing support. And no, it's not Stockholm syndrome or lack of self-love and self-respect. Rather, it's them consuming a product they not only enjoy but also help grow to the level it's.
Instead of shaming Nigerian concertgoers for repeatedly subjecting themselves to the unprofessionalism of organizers like WondaX and unwarranted insults from artists like Burna Boy, they should be protected from such abuse.
The Consumer Protection Commission must step up and ask questions of these organizers and artists whose actions have serially constituted a breach of section 130 of the Consumer Protection Act. They must do their job by protecting consumers who are the victims of the unprofessionalism, incompetence, and arrogance that has continued to reoccur in music concerts.
It's time Nigerians, especially those in the diaspora whom artists like Burna Boy bank on their patronage to remind him that he can't continue insulting fans in Nigeria whose support and reality made him into who he's.
Nigerian artists must understand that they won't have the profile or the international patronage required to headline shows and garner streams internationally without the support of Nigerian fans/consumers.
So will Nigerian fans pay for shows next year even though there's a fairly decent chance they will be kept waiting for hours? Yes, they will even in the face of tough economic realities.
This doesn't make them foolish or lacking in dignity. It's in fact an impressive act of support, part of which has made Afrobeats into what it's today.
If show organizers like WondaX, artists like Burna Boy, and the sleepy Nigerian Consumer Commission can't treat them with the respect they deserve, then shame on all of them.
*This article is the opinion of the writer and doesn't constitute the opinion of the company*