Musician and activist Seun Kuti has called on Nigerians to go beyond protests and focus on meaningful political transformation.
During his appearance on Rubbin’ Minds, Kuti emphasized that while protests play a role in raising awareness, they are insufficient to bring about the change Nigeria needs.
Drawing inspiration from civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., Kuti highlighted the importance of actively fighting for justice. He paraphrased King’s message: “I would rather live in a warzone that is just than in a peaceful place where there are no rights.”
in his words Kuti said:
“I am going to paraphrase Martin Luther King, but he said something like, ‘I would rather live in a warzone that is just than live in a peaceful place where there are no rights because there is nothing more peaceful than an unjust society’. They have accepted their fate and keep quiet so the oppressors can do what they like.
“Up until 10 years ago, Nigerians were the most resilient people in the world, they said we were the happiest people in the world and nobody came to give us awards for it. Now that we want to start speaking up for the betterment of ourselves, we are being charged.
“What I will tell Nigerians is that protest is not enough. I see protests as a child going to a loving parent complaining, ‘Oh, mummy, I don’t want to eat this,’ because the daddy and mummy care. But these people don’t care; that’s why I don’t preach protest only; I preach mass organisation because we the people must also organise ourselves for power.
“It is not enough that we are protesting because we don’t like what they do, we must also send signals that we are ready to replace them. Not with another version of themselves like we did before, PDP to APC but with new people, representatives from our side of the divide.
“It’s not enough that people protest, it is the start of the dance. We need to mass mobilise into a socialist identity to realise this country from this capitalist nonsense we are experiencing.”
Kuti urged Nigerians to focus on replacing the political elite with genuine representatives of the people, not just switching between different versions of the same ruling class. He called for mass mobilization towards a socialist identity, which he believes is the path to freeing Nigeria from its current capitalist system.
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