NIGERIA: "Can't the Woman Be Respected?" Yemi Alade Speaks of the Struggles Women Face

Yemi Alade has over time become one of the most influential women not only in Nigeria but in the continent. Some would say she’s Africa’s very own Beyoncé.

Her music speaks to all the young women in the continent and often portrays the realities women in this continent face.

From her first song Johnny, a song about a young man who goes around lying to women to even her latest songs, she speaks to and about women something that in my opinion has propelled her to even greater heights so early in her career.

She recently had an interview with Vanguard where she addressed challenges women face. And her advice to all women was that every challenge they face is an opportunity for the female artiste to triumph.

“No woman is living on an island with only females; if being a feminist means I strongly believe that the girl child can do just as well as the male child, then call me a feminist.

“But if that’s not it, then I’m not that. “I believe that there is that struggle for the females but I don’t believe that because of that struggle we should be sleeping at our posts.

“I believe that every challenge and opportunity is for you to overcome; a challenge is not to stop you.

“So when you see the challenge, you rise above it; so any woman that is seeing this challenge and sitting at home and crossing her legs, she has decided to fail.

“Not my business.

“No, no, there isn’t, I don’t know, even when you list five male and five female artists first of all, even if the female artist’s music is doing better than the male artist, they will still give more respect to the guy, just because he’s a guy.

“I don’t know why, can’t the woman be respected, I don’t know why.

“But I have come to live with it but I do know that when I am dealing with people, if you cannot respect me, you have to get out of my face.’’

Alade, a graduate of Geography from the University of Lagos, is one of the most sought after female artistes in Nigeria today. After winning the maiden edition of the “Peak Talent Show’’ in 2009, she went ahead to release a couple of singles before her debut album, “King of Queens’’ in 2014. (Vanguard)

She is currently preparing for the release of her second album titled “Mama Africa’’ which would be released this March and will feature Kenya’s Sauti Sol, Phyno and many other African talents.

SOURCE: Vanguard