Nigerian singer Tems, who is a Grammy winner, has shared her harrowing experience in Ugandan prison.
She, along with Omah Lay, were arrested and detained in Uganda after performing at a concert in December, which was perceived to have violated COVID-19 social distancing regulations.
In an interview with Angie Martinez of Power 105.1 FM in New York, Tems said “We didn’t break the [COVID-19] rules. It was basically like a setup. We went to Uganda, I had a show there. It was during COVID year but they had opened things up that time. They had just had a rally in Uganda. People were going out. It wasn’t on lockdown. It was the aftermath.
“And the organisers said they had the permit, they sent us the permit. Everything was cool. And went there and there is this particular artist, I’m not sure now what his role was but he was just busy threatening Nigerian artists that they shouldn’t come. And after the show, the police came. They weren’t in uniforms. They just knocked on my hotel room. My manager and I were eating lunch or dinner. And they just came and said we should follow them and my manager was like he would go with them.
“So, he went with them. But they came back upstairs to pick me up. So, it was like who called them? Later, I found out that there was some weird… That was so scary. I spent two nights in prison. I thought I wasn’t gonna come out. I thought maybe I was going through it for a reason. I was like maybe this is for me to help the people in prison. It was crazy, I ain’t gonna lie. I was settling in because I adapt real quick.”
Tems’ ordeal in Uganda raised concerns about the treatment of artists and the adherence to legal procedures in such cases.