Why Nigerian Artistes Need To Leave Sacred Religious Symbols Alone

There is a difference between using religious symbols in the context in which they should be used and using those symbols as an aesthetic to bolster an artistes god complex – Many times, pop artistes lean to the former. The thinking is simple. They’ve amassed a nearly cult-like following, with fans waiting on their beck and call for updates on their personal and professional lives – they need to keep the people talking.

While some use curated beef, others use needless controversies while trying to cover their sacrilege under the guise of art. The problem here is religious symbols should not be used in hedonistic settings. It is not open for debates. They are sacred and should be treated as such.

The most recent example of this would be Asake in his recent video, ‘Only Me.’ The Grammy-nominated star was seen spraying wards of cash as his followers mockingly imitated churchgoers being baptised by the holy spirit as he chanted, ‘We get money.’

It was simply sacrilegious. Without scenes of the Eucharist (The holy communion rites), the music video would still have portrayed exactly what he wanted. The Eucharist is not a rite that can be modified for artful purposes. It is sacred.

However, Asake is not the first Nigerian artiste or even musician, in general, to use religious symbols to represent a secular notion. Taking it far back, In 2015, K1 The Ultimate released his hit single ‘Orin D’owo,’ which contained the Arabic word ‘Yasin’. In the music video, Muslim clerics were seen dancing seductively with a female in the same frame while chanting ‘Yasin’ several times. For muslims, that was unacceptable.

Rightfully so. As it is in Asake’s case, religious imagery was employed, and in a disrespectful and sacrilegious manner. Religious imagery cannot be used to glorify an artiste, it does not only change the meaning behind the symbol, but it’s also disrespectful to the faithfuls of that religion. There’s a difference between honouring a religion with their symbols or simply using that symbol to speak of an ill in the society and just outrightly being disrespectful to justify your god complex as an artiste.

Yes, you might have become a god in your own right as an artiste, but leave other people’s sacred religious symbols out of your shenanigans.