The Nigerian Broadcasting Commission has banned the “This is Nigeria” video, a mock version of Childish Gambino's “This is America" video, just weeks after its official release.
The broadcasting commission banned the video based on the line “This is Nigeria, everybody be criminal,” calling the phrase “vulgar.”
The Muslim Rights Concern, an Islamic advocacy group, also expressed unease over the video's content, particularly the “negative” portrayal of young girls dancing in hijabs and the Fulani tribe. They said such material carried “the potential of causing a religious crisis of unprecedented dimension.”
Falz, a Nigerian rapper who produced the song and video, mimics the choreography displayed in Childish Gambino's video while rapping about everything from corruption to nepotism and insecurity in the West African nation.
Bans on songs by the broadcasting commission in Nigeria are quite common, according to Qz. However, lyrics that are deemed too sexual or profane are usually targeted.
Compared to artists like Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, contemporary Nigerian musicians are often criticized for seeking big hits and lucrative endorsements. However, the latest ban on “This is Nigeria” will only be enforced for radio and television broadcast. The video will remain on Youtube where 13 million viewers have already watched it.
The original video, “This is America,” addresses gun violence, the 2015 attack on a historically Black church in Charleston, South Carolina that left nine people dead, racism and a slew of other issues.
More than six million viewers have watched Childish Gambino's video to date.