Sierra Leone ‘people’s popstar’ on life as govt enemy No.1
For a musician used to receiving personal insults from the president and anonymous death threats with the release of every new single, Emmerson Bockarie laughs a lot. The Sierra Leonean popstar, a thorn in the side of successive governments over his 15-year career, chuckles as he recalls the countless times politicians have sought to dampen his appeal, and the countless times they have failed. “Politicians make mentions of my music on TV and radio. That means they hear the songs and are getting the message,” he notes with delight, settling down for an interview with AFP at his Freetown studio. Better known simply as “Emmerson”, the Afrobeat singer is the bete noire of Sierra Leone’s music scene, one of few successful artists who refuse to play political rallies or back a party in a nation where rappers and singers are co-opted for their youth appeal.
With a new president due to be elected on Tuesday, Bockarie says he expects fresh inspiration for his soft yet scathing lyrics-whoever wins-as the ruling All Peoples’ Congress (APC) faces off against the main opposition Sierra Leone Peoples’ Party (SLPP). The two parties have ruled the country alternately since independence in 1961. “I stand with the people; I am with the country,” he enthuses. “It makes no sense for me to belong to a political party.”
‘Consistent criticism’ Emmerson began making music in the local Krio language after Sierra Leone’s civil war ended in 2002, when he had just left school. His first single “Yu Go See Am” ridiculed government officials stuffing their faces and skimming money off state funds while ordinary citizens went hungry. “The (then) president, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, was like: it’s better for them to sing than to go back to the bush and be rebels,” he explains, referring to the legions of child and youth soldiers. These days, he is heavily engaged in civic education, collaborating with four other artists on the song “Mi vote na mi life” last year to encourage voters deeply split along tribal and regional lines to consider policies when making their choice. “Emmerson songs are about issues affecting ordinary people,” explained Murtala Mohamed Kamara, publisher of entertainment publication the Salone Jamboree. “He has been consistent with his criticism and advocacy for change without bias to any government,” he added.
‘No easy eh’
A typical Emmerson song will encompass mockery of politicians’ greed and uselessness, tributes to Sierra Leone and its long-suffering people, and some element of hope for the future. His lyrics about poverty-”wi weh no born mit money/ less opportunity/ still wi wan be somebody/ e no easy eh”-reflect the frustrations of young people in a country with high unemployment and enduring social injustice. “I started listening to Emmerson’s music in 2007, and I still love him for telling the truth,” fan Ophaniel Gooding told AFP. But his riotously successful songs have made him some powerful enemies. “I know there are propaganda machines out there organised by the government to go against my music on social media,” Emmerson says.—AFP