UVA Advocates for Reforms at Freedom Vibes Kano Stakeholders’ Forum

Unchained Vibes Africa (UVA), on Thursday, 12th September 2024, hosted the Freedom Vibes Stakeholders’ Forum in Kano. It was a response to concerns by members of the artistic community in northern Nigeria’s most vibrant creative hub with regards to restrictions to their freedom to create critical works that challenge the status quo. The Forum, which was well attended by key stakeholders, took place at Babale Suites in the Nasarawa area of Kano. The Research and Advocacy Manager of UVA, Sola Alamutu, otherwise known as the Green Queen, set the tone for the Forum with the opening presentation highlighting how UVA is leveraging the power of the arts to promote civic education, good governance, human rights, cultural diversity, and the spirit of solidarity in Africa. Her presentation afforded Kano stakeholdrers the opportunity to gain valuable insights into Freedom Vibes, UVA’s flagship programme which promotes and defends artistic freedom and the use of art for civic engagements.

With the theme “The Benefits and Challenges of Leveraging the Power of the Arts for Social Change,” the Forum brought together key players in the creative sector and relevant government agencies for a dialogue to find common ground in addressing the challenges faced by socially engaged artists in the state. Stakeholders explored the potential of music, film, poetry, and other artistic expressions as tools for societal transformation, while highlighting the importance of artistic freedom in this process. UVA Executive Producer, Ayodele Ganiu, during the Theme Showcase (an audio-visual presentation on the Forum’s theme), decried the high rate of violations of artistic freedom in Kano and advocated for more freedom for artists to express themselves, create critical works, including satires which are artists’ legitimate means of criticizing and holding public office holders accountable to the people in a democratic society.

Noting the censorship and excessive restrictions of critical but legitimate works of art in the state, Ganiu called on Kano authorities to allow artists to exercise their rights to protest peacefully through their works. He concluded the UVA presentation by recommending the renaming of the Kano State Censorship Board to Kano State Classification Board. According to him, the word ‘’censorship’’ is paradoxical in a democracy and creates fear in the minds of artists.

While addressing participants at the Forum, the Executive Secretary of the Kano State Censorship Board, Alh. Abba El-Mustapha stated that there is a need for artists in the state to understand that there are laws enacted to guide the conduct of their activities. He reiterated Board’s stance and commitment to the rules establishing it, calling on all artists to register with the board and be guided by the socio-religious heritage of the state. According to him, “though the censorship board’s law enacted in 2001 is undergoing a review, the board wouldn’t relent in protecting the norms and values of the state.”

He said the board was saddled with the responsibility to put an eye on the artists to ensure that they do not violate societal values in their contents. “There are some sets of guidelines that will guard the practitioner or the artist that wants to engage in any type of artistic work in Kano State. We work harmoniously with all the artists. This will avoid things like blasphemy, slander and the use of vulgar language,” Mustapha stated.

Professor Abdalla Abba Adamu, former Vice Chancellor, National Open University of Nigeria, in his address, articulated the need for artists to strike a balance between artistic freedom and respect for cultural and religious values of the people of Kano. He advised the authorities to eschew partisanship in the regulation of artistic works and avoid using the Censorship body as an institution of suppressing opposition views and punishing artists who criticize them while leaving similar artistic contents from artists who support them.

International human rights lawyer and recipient of the 2023 U.S Secretary of State’s International Religious Freedom Award, Kola Alapinni, in his address, gave legal perspective to the theme of the Forum and called on Kano State authorities to respect the rights of artists. He assured artists of legal support against any violation of their rights while creating legitimate works and encouraged them to “be bold and fear no more.”

During the interactive session, artists had the opportunity to directly engage government officials, asserting the need for policy reforms in the State.

As the forum progressed to a climax, two distinguished artists and graduates of the 2023/2024 Freedom Vibes Academy, Shekwoyemi Ibrahim Kure (Love Kure) and Abdulbasit Abubakar Adamu (AB Wordsmith) were spotlighted and had their projects officially premiered during the screening of the Freedom Vibes Academy Alumni Projects. Freedom Vibes Academy is a program aimed at strengthening the advocacy capacity of socially conscious artists. Love Kure’s “Leaders of Tomorrow” and AB Wordsmith ‘‘Mu Farka’’ both delve deeply into the everyday struggles faced by Nigerians and shed light on the battles against suppression, unfulfilled promises, and the harsh realities confronting our democracy.

There were live performances that evoked a reflective mood on the state of the nation, loss of unity, peace, love and freedom. Hausa Hip-hop artist and Freedom Vibes Academy alumnus Mikhail Isah (Classy Dorayi) performed a rap song that ignited the need for citizens reawakening.  Delegates were held spellbound by Ramadan, a spoken word poet with his thought-provoking piece.

The Forum was attended by artists from various disciplines, including musicians and Hausa hip-hop artists, filmmakers and actors from Kannywood, comedians, TikTokers and other content creators, poets, producers, sound engineers, photographers and other artists. Government officials included Alh. Abba El-Mustapha, Executive Secretary, Kano State Censors Board (KSCB), Kano State Commissioner for Tourism and Culture, represented by Hajiya Bintu S. Bala. Members of the civil society organisations (CSOs) included Professor Abdalla Abba Adamu (former Vice Chancellor, National Open University of Nigeria), Ambassador (Mrs) Harriet Chimezie, founder, Greenearth Group Ltd); Dr. Muhammad Mustapha Yahaya, Executive Director, Dispute Resolution and Development Initiative; Mr Chris O’Connor, Senior Manager, Africa and Dr Jude Mutah, Programme Officer Africa at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) Washington DC. Several journalists from Nigeria’s mainstream electronic and print media participated actively in the Forum.

The event proceedings and Artists’ Spotlight were anchored and moderated by rappers and On-Air Personalities Saifullah Ibrahim (Dr Pure) and El Yaqoob Ismail (Ricqy Ultra) respectively.