Ivorian reggae singer, Kajeem, is receiving death threats due to the title of one of his songs, “Tu tournes film” (You’re making a movie). He spoke about this difficult situation for his loved ones on the show “La Télé d’Ici Vacances” on NCI.
A few months ago, Kajeem, the Ivorian reggae singer, released “Raggafrika,” a new 16-track album. The song “Tu tournes film” from this new musical production is considered by many as an attack against the current regime, particularly against the President of the Republic, Alassane Ouattara. As a result, the reggae artist has not experienced peace since then. People have found ways to threaten him on social media.
At first, Kajeem did not take these death threats seriously, but now it is clear. The singer addressed this difficult situation on the set of the show “La Télé d’Ici Vacances” on NCI. “I have received and I’m receiving threats, which means that currently, I can no longer travel for my function as an ambassador for Amnesty International, as I used to. If, at first, we thought it was just some excitable people on social media, later on, we realized that it’s more serious than that,” he explains.
Furthermore, the artist explained that as a reggae singer, he is responsible for denouncing things that may not please certain individuals. “There are some extremes that I may regret because some people take things literally. But when I sing reggae, for me, it’s not about being insulting, not showing disrespect to anyone, not making songs against people, so I try to rise above. In reggae, we denounce situations, which is why a song that is valid today can still be relevant in 30 years.”
Later, the reggae singer points out, “Before me, all over the world, reggae singers have received threats for what they sing. When that happens, it’s never a good sign because sometimes, people who didn’t like the song when it was released can love it years later, and sometimes, it feels like being in a hurricane.”
However, Kajeem emphasizes that it’s often his loved ones who are affected by this ordeal. “When you experience this kind of situation, it’s not your fear, but the impact it has on your surroundings, especially when you have to make a video call to your mother to show her that you are okay,” he concludes.
