Fans Threaten to Boycott Davido’s December Concerts Over Political Controversy, and Honestly, Some of Them Have Already Bought Their Outfits

Good news: fans have strong principles. Bad news: the principles are fighting with the Detty December budget.

Fans are reportedly threatening to boycott Davido’s December concerts over a political controversy. A boycott! In December! The most dangerous season for principles, when every conviction is tested by a fresh outfit, a good seat, and a sound system that makes your ribs vibrate.

Let us be fair. A boycott is a serious thing. It says, “I have values, and I am willing to stay at home, scrolling, to prove it.” And the beauty of the threat is how dramatic it is. It comes with a thread, a hashtag, and a screenshot of the ticket page with the cursor hovering over the button. Hovering is the national sport.

Take Kemi, a fan I invented but whom you definitely know. Kemi has posted three times this week that she is “done.” She has typed, deleted, and retyped her reason. She has told her friends, “I cannot support this.” She has also bought a new outfit “just in case,” booked a hair appointment “for something else,” and asked her cousin if he can still get tickets “for the principle of it.” Nobody is judging her. We are all Kemi.

Supporters of the artist will say music is music, and politics is politics. That is a nice sentence, but in Nigeria the two have been sharing a house for years, and the rent is unclear. Critics will say that fans have the right to withhold their money and applause. That is also true. A ticket is a vote, and December is a very expensive election.

Meanwhile, the real organisers are calm. They have seen this before. Every year, someone says, “I will never attend,” and every year, the venue is full, the lights are bright, and the same person is in the third row, filming the whole thing for evidence.

And let us not forget the wise internet voice, always the same one, saying, “Separate the art from the artist.” This person appears at every controversy, holding the sentence like an umbrella. They may be right, they may be wrong, but they are always on time.

The ordinary person’s role in all this is simple. You are free to boycott, to attend, or to do both on different nights. Just remember that the internet keeps receipts, and so does your mother.

Anyway, we wish everyone a peaceful December. May the speakers be loud, may the opinions be respectful, and may every principle survive the first song.