With the world in turmoil currently, the many injustices people face locally and globally that the mainstream media refuses to report on are being brought to light. And those responsible, are somewhat being held to account. But, amid the adrenaline rush of seeking justice, many people have critiqued the lack of response on these social and political issues from celebrities.
Our most recent celebrity to be called out about her “silence” is none other than Beyoncé. Her jury was Tiwa Savage, a renowned Nigerian Afrobeats artist, who having collaborated with Beyoncé on a project which included the creativity and work of many Nigerian artists, was upset with the lack of coverage from Beyonce and her team on the cases of police brutality in Nigeria. And I can’t help feeling like she, along with others online, are becoming a bit entitled with their expectations.
Savage's point, that if you are using the brains and creativity of our people, then you can/should keep that same energy when crisis arises, is perfectly valid. However, I feel that the assumption that she (Beyoncé) hasn’t engaged with it behind the scenes, or is at least educating herself on the matter before prematurely announcing anything, is childish and entitled (to). We have given so many celebrities a 'god-complex' and we place unrealistic expectations on them to denounce every bad thing that happens in the world, almost immediately after finding out about it.
Say what you want about celebrities and what sort of person they’re meant to portray; money and status doesn’t equate to them having infinite amounts of knowledge on all issues happening globally – if we don’t know everything, the chances are they don’t either.
It doesn’t remove their upbringings and biases towards particular racial groups, religions, or even the way they appropriate cultures regularly. So, to depend on these same people we find these types of faults in to be the spokespeople of all things unjust? Ridiculous.
Furthermore, I’d like to remind everyone that celebrities are not qualified to discuss these issues, even if their status and influence can help spread awareness faster. There are organisations, charities and companies where activism is their expertise. Where their knowledge on things such as colonialism, white supremacy/privilege, and the various wars and genocides occurring around the world, is revised and refined. Additionally, we have scholars, artists and creatives who dedicate their works entirely for the cause. And so, it seems incredulous that people are still so disappointed in celebrities for not doing the job that others are doing and have been doing.
I don’t want to appear obtuse, as I’m aware that celebrity influence has previously brought about faster changes in the past. Instead of placing that responsibility on them, we should pour into the companies and organisations that are doing the work to ensure we remain informed consistently. That means retweeting/posting their educational resources, subscribing to channels that detail the events happening, and the measures we can all take to put an end to the horrific injustices we experience and witness daily. Sign petitions. Go into your communities.
Educate yourself, so that you won’t need celebrities or anyone else to do that for you.
Big thank you to Amelia for that honest and eye-opening post. I agree, in a culture where blame-shifting is so prevalent, it is our responsibility to educate ourselves and to hold ourselves to the expectations we hold celebrities.
Amelia Mya Alleyne has worked with VICE UK and LBOC2020 for a year as a host and presenter on the podcasts, VENT WEEKLY and VENT WEEKLY: Bonus Covid-19 Episodes, which can be found on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. As well as a documentary on Spotify/Apple under VENT Documentaries. She has also written for non-profits such as #WOKEWeeklyUK and Incite Magazine.
Follow her on Instagram @miiiilllss
Check out her personal blog, Blogs By Mils here:
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