We have been hard on Nigerian celebrities here on the Sexuality Blog and rightly so. While they have not chosen to become public images, being the public eye and courting fame through a career in entertainment puts certain pressures on you, especially the pressure to use the influence that your fame gives you to promote equal rights and support oppressed minorities. For the most part Nigerian celebrities have failed woefully in this regard, instead abusing their privileges and belitting their fans. Not D’Banj however. All through his career, from his days at Mo’Hits, D’Banj has always shown an acute understanding of social issues, and while he has not always lent his voice in support of minorities, he has always ensured he didn’t use his privilege to oppress them either.
Over the weekend, the singer was performing at a concert when he spotted in the crowd, a female concert goer being harassed. He promptly interrupted the concert, drew the attention of the concert security hired to protect him and got them to separate the girl from her harasser. He personally ensured she was alright before publicly condemning the behaviour of her harasser. We speak often about how it is not enough for women to speak out about sexual harassment and misogyny against them, and how it is up to men to not only understand the plight of these women and listen when they speak of their struggles, but also support them by standing up for them and correcting other men when they act in misogynistic ways. D’Banj interrupting his concert performance to aid a woman being assaulted is the strongest possible message he could send, and we applaud him for it.
We hope other Nigerian celebrities are taking notice of his example.
