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Entertainment is a gateway to educate the world about Africa – Davido
Nigerian music icon Davido has attributed the transformation of global perceptions about Africa to the influence of the entertainment industry.
Speaking in a recent interview, the Afrobeats star shared his personal journey of breaking stereotypes about Africa through his music and cultural representation.
Reflecting on his upbringing, Davido recounted the challenges of growing up in an all-white community in the United States. He recalled the ignorance he encountered about Africa, revealing the outlandish questions he faced as a young Nigerian abroad.
“I’ve said this about 100 times but I went to school in an all-white community so me being an African child, going to school in America and in their own words, ‘coming straight off the boat’ in that community, I knew they weren’t really educated about how Africa is. They’d ask questions like, ‘How did you fly here?’ Me that I went there in a private jet. They ask questions like, do y’all have airports?’ This and that,” Davido revealed.
The singer emphasized that these misconceptions fueled his passion to promote African culture proudly. Through his music and collaborations, Davido has worked to dismantle stereotypes and educate people about the richness of African heritage.
“That’s why I love to show my culture. When it comes to artistes I work with and everything, I want to let them know that everything they have abroad also exists in Africa. Growing up in that environment made me really realise that the Western world, as of then, wasn’t really educated about how Africa is. They were only educated about what they saw in the news,” he said.
Davido further expressed pride in how entertainment has reshaped Africa’s image internationally. The singer highlighted the transition from negative stereotypes about Nigeria to global admiration for Afrobeats, African cuisine, and fashion.
“Entertainment, I feel was a gateway to really show them. Before if a person said they’re from Nigeria, people would say 419 and other things. And now, they say they love afrobeats, African food and clothes. The narrative is changing,” he concluded.
Watch him speak below:
"Entertainment was a gateway to really show them."
– Davido pic.twitter.com/nTJXg2vL0s
— @𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗷𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗯𝗼𝘆 (@OneJoblessBoy) December 6, 2024