Popular reality TV personality, Tacha, has criticized the organizers of the 2023 Headies Awards for hosting the event abroad for the second consecutive year.
She suggested that this decision reflects a “slave mentality” and raised several compelling points to support her stance.
Tacha stated that it made some sense to host the awards abroad in the previous year when Afrobeats was gaining global recognition and Nigerian artists were filling stadiums.
However, she questioned the rationale for continuing this practice in the same foreign venue, Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
She compared this decision to other international awards, such as the BET Awards, which celebrates black entertainers and minorities in music, film, sports, and philanthropy but has never chosen to host its event in an African country.
She said: “Guys, is it just me or this is just insane and ridiculous? How is it that the music award in Africa is being held abroad, back to back? Like isn’t that crazy? What did our colonial masters do to us? What is this slave mentality? How does this make sense?
“I mean, the first time it was held in the US last year, it kind of made sense. Afrobeats was still getting into one momentum, our artistes were filling up stadiums, yes it made sense. But doing it in the US again, a year after, back to back; where’s the sense in that? Yes now, because we are the ones promoting it here in Nigeria; we are the ones voting.
“Like have we forgotten that there was a time when BET would not give awards to our artistes on the front stage? They were giving awards to our artistes backstage. Like, have we forgotten so soon? Even BET won’t hold their award show in Africa even if we want to cry left and right. Not in South Africa, not in Nigeria.
“So, why are we taking such a prestigious, indigenous award abroad? Do you understand? It just doesn’t make sense to me.
Tacha also recommended that Nigerian news platforms and blogs ought not to report the Headies Awards, arguing the organisers should have paid our foreign counterparts huge sums to do that for them since they decided to take their event abroad.
She noted: “Left to only me, blogs posting about it shouldn’t. Let them go and pay all those expensive blogs abroad, $5,000, $3,000 to post the award. Since you don’t want us to be fully part of it because it makes no sense. I don’t know what foreign award they’ll carry from abroad to host in Nigeria.
Tacha, therefore, urged Nigerian award organisers in its entirety to reconsider their decisions as well as actions that undermine the image and perception of the country on the global stage and how it affects the psyche of the citizens who actively promote these awards and engage in its voting process.
The Big Friday Show host added: “This slave trade mentality ehn, we feel like we are out of it. But if you think about it, are we really out of it? Let us just do better because it makes no sense. I don’t understand. We vote in Nigeria here and then we’re taking the award to the US, why? You want to feel among? You want to rub shoulders? Like I don’t get! What foreign award will be held in Nigeria? Please, let’s be candid!”
