Ja and Nigeria seeking further collaboration
From Burna Boy to ‘Jollywood’, countries forming more linkages in entertainment, culture
Published:Tuesday | December 27, 2022 | 12:50 AMAaliyah Cunningham/Gleaner Writer
Nigerian singer Burna Boy declared during the Jamaica leg of the Love, Damini album tour that being on the island and performing for the thousands gathered at the National Stadium felt like a “homecoming”. He also continued to say that Jamaica and Nigeria are deeply connected, and is now reportedly seeking to purchase a home on the island. He is also expected to return next year for another vacation.
The Nigerian international music sensation, whose real name is Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, departed the island on Sunday through the Private Jet Centre at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay. During his stay in Jamaica, he vacationed at Tryall Club and partied at YUSH, Taboo and 2727 in Montego Bay, after wowing his Jamaican fans with a performance at the National Stadium. He also spent time in Kingston.
What makes Jamaica feel like home for the African giant? According to the head of chancery at the Nigeria High Commission, Anthonia T. Akunne, just about everything, from the food to the weather, is the same for both.
“I was very happy when I heard Burna Boy said he felt at home because truly, when you are in Jamaica, you do feel at home. From my perspective, what he meant by it feeling like a homecoming – because I heard him – he meant the music. He knows that the music is the soul of being, the soul of life; it makes people come alive. Nigerian music and Jamaican music are born from the ‘Juju highlight’. That is [what] we would call it. We are blended with Jamaicans in that area,” she told The Gleaner.
“Separate from [the] music, we go to the foodstuff. The food that Jamaica has is the same things that we have in Nigeria. The only difference is the preparation of it. Before coming to Jamaica, I [asked] questions about the people here, and they told me I should not bother bringing the food because the food is here. I was in downtown, and I saw cassava; I almost shouted. I saw breadfruit, and I said, ‘Wow!’. In Nigeria, we don’t even look at breadfruit as food, and I came here and I saw that you can roast it or boil it, and I was so happy. The weather here is very similar as well. The only difference is the rainy season here is not as bad as in Nigeria,” she continued.
Burna Boy gave an almost two-hour-long performance at the National Stadium on December 18 to thousands of patrons, who came out to him alongside Lila Iké and Popcaan. He never missed a moment to show his love for the island, even inviting Serani to the stage to perform their collaboration Secret.
“This feels like a homecoming. This feels like a long-lost brother coming to see his brothers and sisters,” said Burna Boy. “Jamaica, man, me and you have so much history, but you don’t even know. I am here tonight to juggle your memory and let you know and make you understand that I may come from a far place called Nigeria, but I am still Jamaican. You are all Nigerian. I feel so blessed and honoured man,” he continued in another instance.
For Akunne, she was excited when she heard the news that he was travelling to Jamaica to perform, as she believed it was the best way for our cultures to connect at this moment.
“I felt very elated when I heard that he was coming. When the manager came here to have a meeting with us, I was thinking, will this be possible? When I heard he was coming, I said ‘yes’. When we started hearing from him, I said this one is for Jamaica. In fact, this one can blend so easily with Jamaica than any other Nigerian celebrity that has visited in the past. The music and the dancing on stage made me feel so happy that our brother is making us proud in the industry. He has won two awards in Nigeria, and he is going around the world and making us proud. I spoke to one of the sponsors, and I told them that this is a great initiative and I want to see more of this happening before I leave Jamaica. I am so happy to be a part. I feel so happy and proud to be a Nigerian. We are together from the ancestral line,” she explained to The Gleaner.
She also disclosed that this was not the only form of entertainment partnership that is to exist between Jamaica and Nigeria. Akunne revealed that there have been talks to establish linkages between the Jamaican and Nigerian film industries.
“Our culture is very rich and diverse. I have met with even Jamaica’s minister of culture, and they are trying to learn more about our culture. They are trying now to make arrangements for the Nollywood actors to come next year, [and] by the grace of God, we are planning towards that. They are coming to Jamaica with a purview of establishing ‘Jollywood’,” she revealed.
Speaking with Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, she shared that Jamaica and Nigeria are connected based on the roots of the people.
“What is so beautiful in all of this is that there is diversity in our culture, but as diverse as it is, there is that connection. It is like a tree. There are so many branches and so many different elements and aspects of our culture, but it is from the same roots,” Grange said.