A musician, producer and social activist, Adegoke Odukoya, aka Ade Bantu, has revealed his plans to go on a tour of West Africa countries. This was even as he called for the revival of communal living in Africa.
The Nigerian-German stated this during a recent parley Freedom Park, Lagos Island, Lagos State.
He told Sunday Scoop, “We are going to be playing a couple of shows in the coming weeks here in Nigeria, and we will be going on a tour of West Africa. We are putting the tour schedule together, because we want to continue being on the road, and we have been getting requests from other parts of Africa.”
Bantu added that his new song titled, Your Silence, speaks against looking away when things go wrong in society. He said, “We (him and his band) have a new song which addresses the fact that everybody looks away and remains silent in the face of oppression. However, when things happening around them are wrong, people ought to intervene. It is the communal African feeling of being one’s brother or sister’s keeper, and that is lost at the moment.”
On why he wants to do live shows, the singer said, “It is always a risk, We are not on rotation (getting airplay) on radio or television, but what is important is to make culture accessible, and engage people beyond the realms of popular culture and music. We are a diverse nation, and when it comes to music, there is so much that makes us who we are. I have my own audience and niche. There are people who have been with us since 1999 when we started doing music. There are people who identify strongly with what we stand for. To a certain degree, they see themselves in us.
“Also, things have been very difficult for musicians. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have not been able to fully come back. We need to keep pushing. I was raised to question authority and dogma.”