Afrobeats star Tiwa Savage has called on Beyonce to lend her voice to Nigeria’s ongoing #EndSARS protests.
Savage took to Instagram live to address the ongoing protests calling for an end to police brutality.
“I was involved, recently, in a project that I was so proud of, like as an artiste I was so so proud to be called to be among the few people that was [sic] involved in this project. It’s called ‘Black Is King: The Gift album’,” Savage said. “But I want to use my platform right now to call Beyonce and the whole team that reached out to a lot of Nigerians; Nigerian artistes, Nigerian producers, Nigerian video directors, dancers, creatives.”
Black is King focused on “the voyages of Black families … [and] a tale about a young king’s transcendent journey through betrayal, love and self-identity,” the press release read, going on to call it a celebration of “Black resilience and culture. […] His ancestors help guide him toward his destiny, and with his father’s teachings and guidance from his childhood love, he earns the virtues needed to reclaim his home and throne,” the release continues.
At the time of the project’s release, many accused Beyonce of capitalizing off African culture.
Over the last two weeks, Nigerian protesters called for the end of the country’s controversial Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) following accusations of officers robbing, attacking, and even killing people.
“I’m calling on Beyonce and her team, the same way they used their platform… to elevate and to show the world that Black is King and how beautiful Afrobeat and Africa our culture is. I want them to please use their voice and their platform right because the same country that birth this genre (Afrobeat) is on fire right now.
“So, I’m calling on Beyonce and her whole team and I’m telling you; you cannot ignore this,” Savage said.
