For a while now, there has been crisis in Togo between the ruling Gnassingbe family dynasty who have ruled for 50 years, and its citizen, and this has led to the death of scores of people.
Togolese human rights activist, Farida Nabourema, has been at the forefront in calling for the end of nepotism and demanding term limits. In a recent interview, she called out Nigerian singer, Yemi Alade, for reportedly endorsing tyranny in her country, Togo.
The criticism comes after Yemi Alade performed in support of one of the “most brutal dictators in Africa”. Farida said she was disappointed in Yemi for not using her influence for good.
Speaking during an interview, Farida said of Yemi Alade:
“Because they paid her a couple of hundreds thousands of Dollars? We were like ‘this lady is just a disappointment, and I’m like, I’m so angry and so mad at her that I swear if I see her on the street I’m going to curse her because these are people who are feeding on the suffering of others. They are embellishing the image of brutal dictators just for a couple of thousands of Dollars.”
She also called out Togolese footballer Emmanuel Adebayo. She said:
“We have Adebayor, we have the Toofans but the unfortunate and sad thing about Togo is that these celebrities you are mentioning they kind of like function in a club – a club of the aristocrat and elite. Like Adebayor has campaigned for Faure Gnassingbe (the President) in 2015 and the people were so outraged, you know. He lost a lot of respect from the Togolese people for doing that. The Toofans did the same, they’re still doing it.”