Defending Davido's dance-Wole Soyinka speaks

Wole Soyinka, the Nobel laureate, came to the defense of singer David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, following the controversy surrounding a video he shared that seemed to criticize the Muslim faith. Soyinka stated that there is no need for Davido to apologize for the video.

In his statement, Soyinka emphasized that he had intervened in similar situations in the past, where public figures made comments that were considered derogatory to certain religious groups. He mentioned an incident involving the former Governor of Kaduna State, El Rufai, and a bank manager who made an analogy involving Easter and Christ. In both cases, Soyinka firmly believed that no apology was necessary.

Soyinka pointed out that contrived contrition and apologies do not necessarily lead to closure or justice in cases where genuine offenses have occurred. He also defended the right of artists, including Davido, to use dance as a form of expression in religious settings. He argued that dance has a universal heritage and can be employed to invoke a sense of spiritual community.

While Soyinka admitted that he hadn't seen the specific clip in question, he maintained that people have the right to boycott Davido's products if they find them offensive. However, he emphasized that focusing on such controversies distracts from more crucial issues in the nation, such as the misuse of religious power that leads to violence, injustice, and the suppression of dissenting voices.

Soyinka concluded by urging citizens to direct their righteous indignation towards the root issues of religion in the country, where the power of life and death is wielded unjustly, rather than getting distracted by trivial matters. He highlighted cases of real injustice and provocations that deserve the nation's attention and revulsion.

In essence, Soyinka's message was to prioritize addressing the fundamental issues of religious power and injustice rather than getting caught up in controversies over artistic expressions.