This is perhaps the most difficult article I’ll
ever write. It is difficult because I write with
a frustrating reality in mind that I am most
likely wasting my time. For once I write
about an evil, so evil it is unspeakable, yet
I feel there is no hope; no one will come to
my aide, no one will come to the aide of the
women who were violated and their dignity
taken away so much so that death will feel
better. No, people will celebrate the culture
and people will dance to its tunes. Oh, I feel hopeless!

We heard, and some others watched, the other
day when some undergraduates took turns
to rape a fellow student and videotaped it
somewhere in South of Nigeria. And we heard,
and some watched, as she begged them to kill
her; oh she would have been relieved if only they
would oblige her and sniff life out of her; it was
better than this horror, this pain, this hurt, this
humiliation, this violation, and this absolute
damage. Oh, death is not this bad she must have
thought; for once she must have desired it, instead
of this. Just anything instead of this. I can’t
imagine, if you have not been raped, you also
cannot imagine. If you could imagine and if we,
as a people, could imagine we would not
promote songs that praise rape no matter how
subtle

I first heard Mr. Olamide Adedeji’s song “Story
for the Gods” in a cab. The driver kept repeating
the song so I was forced to notice it. Any person
with a musical background will notice the wittiness
of the producer and the smoothness of the artiste
but for my religious convictions I decided to ignore,
as I will usually do. Two days later
the song kept playing in my head and as I try to
fight it I gave a thought to the lyrics of what
was coming to my head and I was shocked. In
curiosity I searched for the lyrics, got a
translation from a Yoruba friend for the Yoruba
parts and my mouth dropped open. What?
A song praising rape? I died!

Mr. Adedeji begins his song by telling his fans
how he took alcohol and weed and then he
proclaims “I want to do [i[sina[/i] today”.

The translator described "Sina"/i] as a street slang for
[i]"fornication/adultery" but that is what he knows.
Sina is how some Yoruba persons will pronounce
“Zina” which is the technical term for fornication
and adultery in Islamic jurisprudence. So he was
not only boasting about fornication as a lot of his
colleagues do, he was calling it a religious name
to make his point clearer and more grievous…

The fellow goes ahead to narrate how the girl
with whom he wants to fornicate with is giving
excuses. He spoke of how she said she can’t
wait, how she said it is getting late, and how she
said she wants to faint, and he dismissed this
excuses as “story for the gods” meaning he is not
going to take no for an answer, he is not going
to listen to her, he MUST do this today and
nothing, not even the absence of her consent will
stop him


In case that was not convincing enough he
continues so that there will be no doubts. He
narrates how the lady started saying he is in
trouble, “he has broken my back, he has broken
my arm” and he again dismiss this again as story
for the gods, meaning not even the back breaking
and arm breaking or the trouble he is threatened
with will stop him from having his way with her.
He MUST do this and he must do so by force.
Oh God! Our people did not stone him, they did
not even say please we do not want this; they
accepted this obvious and heartless glorification
of rape. What have we turn into?

By telling us her excuse yet insisting he must
force her, Mr. Olamide is telling the world and
teaching his fans one of two things. It is either
she wants it but she is lying because that is how
they lie, or ‘she does not want it’ must not be a
good reason for “big boy” not to have it. You
may think the latter is more clearly rape but
ironically the former is even more popular among
rapists; they assume the no of women mean yes.
If a musician of his caliber endorses this then
what happens to the millions of youths who want
to do everything he does? When will they ever
hear a “no” and take it as such? How many girls
will be raped for this wicked orientation? And who
will give them justice?

Someone said rape is the most easy accusation to
make and the most difficult to prove. This
explains why even in the so called advanced
countries about 90% of rapeincidents are not
reported. The victim either “end it all” or enters
into prostitution thereafter and/or she becomes
enslaved for life, often, to depression, post-
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), flashbacks,
sleeping and eating problems, dissociative
personality disorder, guilt, feeling of
worthlessness, among other countless
psychological problems. All of these while dealing
with the usual physical challenge of painful sexual
intercourse, urinary infection, Uterine Fibroid, and
whatever sexually transmitted disease her rapist
has to offer. All of these while Mr. Olamide
makes his money, drinks more alcohol and
encourage the public to rape more girls

I do agree with those who say rape is the crime
in which a person is left with the most violation.
What violation can be more than being a victim
of rape and hearing a song praising rape everywhere around you because the people do not care neither does the
government

As if this impunity was not enough, Mr. Olamide
goes ahead to make a video of this song. A
video so painfully humiliating to women you will
excuse the song itself. He tops all these
atrocities with a display of lesbianism whereas
the law of the land says:

“The public show of same sex amorous
relationship directly or indirectly is prohibited. A
person who registers, operates or participate in
gay clubs, societies and organisation, or
DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY MAKES
PUBLIC SHOW OF SAME SEX AMOROUS
RELATIONSHIP IN NIGERIA COMMITS AN
OFFENCE AND IS LIABLE ON CONVICTION
TO A TERM OF 10 YEARS
IMPRISONMENT.” - Same Sex Marriage
(Prohibition) Act, 2013 stated in Section 4&5,
subsections 2

But then after presenting all these facts to me I
asked my Secretary why such a man has not
been arrested and he gave me an answer that
broke my heart. He said “sir, he has a lot of
money, so nothing will happen”

While innocent Nigerians spend years in detention
without trial for as much as being accused of
stealing water melon, we are watching to see
what will happen now that the boastfully wealthy
is on record promoting rape and bullshiting the
law. We truly hope something happens this time
around. We truly hope that Mr. Olamide
withdraws this evil of a song and apologises to
everyone or the police does the needful. None of
these two seem likely however. I guess
the Rape (mind the “e”) Ambassador will laugh
within wine and tell his boys how this is yet
another story for the gods….and nothing will
happen.

I am glad God Almighty is not man and I am
glad He has promise to pay everyone back in
their own coin. There is hope after all

Eseoghene Al-Faruq Ohwojeheri

www.saharareporters.com/2014/11/27/olamides-story-gods-nigerian-song-recommending-rape-eseoghene-al-faruq-ohwojeheri#.VHitzmGx-3E.facebook