🔅 From Afrobeats Records to Crude Awakenings: A Trio of Tales from Africa
Rema's Record-Breaking Hit, Kenya's Tax Revolt, and Niger's Pipeline Problems
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Rema's "Calm Down" is Anything But Calm in the US Music Scene
Nigerian star Rema's hit song "Calm Down" is making waves across the pond, becoming the most-streamed Afrobeats song in the US with over one billion on-demand streams. This 24-year-old sensation is proving that age is just a number when it comes to dominating the music industry.
According to music monitoring platform Chart Data, "Calm Down" is the first Afrobeats song in history to achieve this mind-boggling milestone. It is a hit that just keeps listeners coming back for more, like a musical boomerang.
Released in February 2022 as a single from Rema's debut album "Rave and Roses," the song got a major boost when US singer Selena Gomez hopped on a remix a few months later. The collaboration propelled "Calm Down" to hit the billion-plays mark on Spotify and spend an entire year on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number three—the highest-charting song with an Afrobeats musician as the lead artist.
The remix's music video, with nearly 894 million views on YouTube, is currently the most-watched music video by a Nigerian artist. It's safe to say that Rema, whose real name is Divine Ikubor, has joined the ranks of prominent Nigerian Afrobeats artists like Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Davido.
Kenya's Tax Revolt
Kenya's President William Ruto has been on a mission to eliminate the country's $80 billion national debt by introducing a slew of new and unpopular taxes.Â
But his latest finance bill, which included a 16% levy on bread sparked a massive public outcry and protests in the capital, Nairobi.
In a surprising twist, the government decided to scrap some of the proposed taxes, including the bread levy, after collecting public views on the bill. The parliamentary finance committee chairman, Kuria Kimani, announced the U-turn at a press briefing attended by a silent President Ruto, who was probably wondering how he ended up in this sticky situation.
Other axed taxes included levies on cooking oil, mobile money services, and motor vehicles. The government also backtracked on an eco tax targeting products like packaging, plastics, and tyres, which critics argued would raise the cost of essential items like nappies, sanitary towels, computers, and mobile phones.
Despite the concessions, protesters in Nairobi called for President Ruto's resignation, chanting "Ruto must go!" Police responded with tear gas and water cannon, arresting dozens of people accused of organizing the demonstrations.Â
Rights groups have condemned the police's heavy-handed response.
Niger's Pipeline Problems: A Crude Situation
Niger's ruling junta is having some serious issues with its oil pipeline partners.Â
The Patriotic Liberation Front (FPL), an armed group that formed after Niger's July 2023 coup, decided to take matters into their own hands by disabling a section of the country's PetroChina-funded crude oil pipeline on Sunday night.Â
Their goal is to pressure Niger's Chinese partners to cancel the $400 million export deal. The FPL's message was clear: "Cancel the deal, or we'll paralyze all oil assets in our next few actions." Talk about a crude ultimatum!
This attack comes on the heels of another pipeline-related crisis.
Last Thursday, Niger claimed it had shut off the pipeline's flows due to a border dispute with Benin. And just a day before that, unidentified assailants attacked soldiers guarding the pipeline in the southeastern Dosso region, resulting in the tragic loss of six soldiers' lives.
With jihadist groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State operating in the area, it seems like Niger's pipeline is facing threats from all sides. The government, PetroChina, CNPC, and pipeline operator WEPCO have yet to comment on the situation, leaving everyone wondering what the future holds for this embattled oil pipeline.
Food for Thought
“The child of a rat is a rat."
— Malagasy Proverb