Burna Boy Says It Is Time That Africans Tell Their Own Stories In Exclusive Interview With BBC Africa

Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, better known as Burna Boy has just won a Grammy in the Best Global Music Album category. The Nigerian artist is one of the Africa’s most successful artists. He hit the music scene in 2012, after releasing his debut album L.I.F.E. The singer spoke exclusively to BBC Africa about winning, his album “Twice as tall” and the importance of African voices being heard.

‘Burna Boy on winning a Grammy… “I felt very relieved because I deserved it?”

He realised in 2012 that his music touched a number of people “It’s bigger than me and that’s when it kind of hit me that this is not a hobby anymore, you used to do this on the streets and everyone would be going crazy, but now I don’t see anyone better than you so it’s like this is serious now.”

On The impact of winning a Grammy award for Burna and other African artists
“It just shows like you know anything is possible and whatever situation you may be in, and whatever environment you find yourself does not really determine your future and what you are going to do.
It doesn’t stop you from not just considering your dreams, you know. Cause at the end of the day, we are in an environment that is very discouraging; you understand, an environment that doesn’t even believe in itself before they even think of believing in you.”

Why this album was important to Burna Boy
“It’s always important for me to make music and bodies of work as much as possible because for me that is what will be left behind when I’m not here. That’s going to be my footprints on the world. I believe at every step of my life to create a body of work that narrates and explains that time of my life.”

‘On why Africans should be telling their own stories’
Because our stories have always been twisted and told and most of the time our stories have been twisted into the western world and then white faces have been put on the real characters; do you understand?
Now is the time to overturn all that because finally we have a generation of Africans who is not going to stand for that. You understand?
So what better time to start to do, to change the narrative back into the truth.

Watch the full interview here:
BBC Website
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-africa-56468092