Senator Furious about Kanye’s Comments on Slaves, Asks Him to Visit Nigeria

Advisor February 21, 2019

Sani’s invitation

Kanye’s comments about black slavery are still brewing rage all over the world. One of the countries that recently added its voice to the controversy is a lawmaker from Nigeria, Shehu Sani. The lawmaker extends an invitation to West for a journey to the country in order for him to have firsthand experience in the African continent.

The Grammy Award winner has been engulfed in extreme criticism after granting an appearance on a live radio show at TMZ. During the interview which was held in LA some weeks ago, West said that slavery was a choice.

People interpreted this statement to mean that the captured slaves who were dragged, tortured, and molested for more than 400 years, chose to be enslaved, and not the colonial masters who compelled them to do so. In his opinion, 400 years is ridiculously too long for the black forefathers from Africa to allow slavery to continue. So, for him, that seemed like making a pure choice.

During the slave trade boom, some Nigerian slaves deliberately killed themselves by jumping inside the river while their masters’ ship was sailing, all in a bid to escape slavery

The husband to the reality star, Kim Kardashian, and father of three, went on to enumerate on his psychological challenges, mental wellness, musical craft, and his celebrity family.

In response to these weird remarks, Sen. Shehu Sani, an outspoken lawmaker from Nigeria, came out last week to express his displeasure on Kanye’s utterances. He accused the US rapper of mocking the slaves and slapping them on the face.

Sani went on Twitter on the 4th of May to bare his mind. He wrote that Nigeria is willing to give Kanye West an easy-to-get pass if he believes that slave trade was done out of choice. He added that the free pass will come at no cost and coupled with a tour supervisor who would take West through slave channels and shelters located in the Badagry area of Lagos, Nigeria; Ghana, Goree Island, Senegal, and Ouida in Benin Republic.

Badagry in Lagos has a historical museum where every sign and artifact of slave trade is carefully stored

Existing remnants of slave trade that Kanye should see

In this sense, Sani was talking about the remains of the slave era in West African coast. During that time, Africans were captured, chained, and given to the white people as slaves (ie, the Europeans and Americans) in exchange for money.

This will offer him the opportunity to witness the true chained choices, says Sani. The legislator feels that Kanye messed up the tombs of the dead slaves. In the meantime, one radio outfit based in Detroit announced last week that it would stop playing Kanye West’s tracks in reaction to his statements.

However, he made efforts to explain his utterances a week ago when the heated condemnation from critics heightened. He said that he knew by all means that the slaves were not chained out of choice, neither were they bundled inside the boat out of choice as well.

However, continued West, people should understand that for them to remain that way in that state means they were mentally enslaved. He pointed out that at least, their numbers outdid their captors, yet they didn’t attempt to be free.

Free Thinking?

West sees these heavy backlashes as an attack on him just because he’s standing up for new concepts. Kanye was on TMZ a week ago where he voiced out his mind that the 4-century-old slave nightmare story looked like a choice to him. Consequently, he got several missiles of outcry from fans worldwide, and not even his justified explanations on Twitter could save his head.

Many believe that West’s comments are indications that the artist doesn’t really appreciate the realities of hardship and oppression

The drama inside TMZ studio became intense when West faced the station’s staff members and asked them if they feel that he’s been free in his thinking. In response, Van Lanthan, a witness also in the studio replied in the negative.

He said Kanye wasn’t even thinking at all. He further lambasted Kanye that as he’s living an aristocratic lifestyle as an artist, the remaining blacks in the society are forced to face bullying in their lives. African-Americans are compelled to survive the demeaning treatment which was as a result of four centuries of slave trade which West claimed that it was a choice.