Many of the videos now circulating have been around for several years, but have only had a renaissance since the overthrow of democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum by a group of generals at the end of July. Videos of military propaganda old and new, now remixed for the TikTok era, are piling up, especially on state television station Tele Sahel, as the New York Times (“NYT”) wrote.
In one of the videos in question, for example, a famous trio of uniformed artists praises the soldiers, who are said to be as fast as antelopes. In another, pickup trucks race across the desert to intercept suspected criminals. And in a third, a dragon from “Game of Thrones” flies through the sky as a well-known pro-military singer compares it to men in uniform and praises its “strength, wisdom and intelligence”.
While in many other countries artists in particular have used their music to protest authoritarian power structures following military seizures of power, many in Niger’s cultural scene have signaled their approval of the new rulers with the revival of new videos and music.
APA/AFP In addition to pro-military music videos, many people in Niger also express their support for the military junta in the streets
Solidarity with the military
The wide distribution of pro-military propaganda videos also provides insight into the history that exists between the Nigerian people and the military. Because fear of and respect for the military is deeply rooted in society, observers say. The military has been ubiquitous with five coups d’état over the past 50 years, and most recently through the fight against Islamist uprisings.
Furthermore, many in Niger would have welcomed the end of democratic rule, as they primarily associated it with corruption, economic hardship and the restriction of freedom of expression – including for artists. Furthermore, in an Afrobarometer survey carried out in June last year, around 71 percent of the Nigerian population stated that they had “a lot of trust” in the military.
Young people experience military rule for the first time
With the first military takeover since 2010, many of Niger’s 25 million inhabitants, half of whom are under the age of 15, are experiencing military rule for the first time. Over the past month, hundreds of young people have been on night vigil and checking suspicious-looking cars in a bid to defend the country from a foreign invasion, following the junta’s appeal. Pro-military songs were often heard.
One of the most listened to is Mamane Sani Maigochi, himself an ex-military man and one of the best-known pro-military singers, as reported by France 24, among others. The Nigerian military recently shared one of their songs on Facebook, accompanied by photographs of General Abdourahmane Tiani, who proclaimed himself head of state after the coup, and other military leaders.
APA/AFP Former military Mamane Sani Maigochi is one of the best-known and most listened to singers of pro-military music
In it he sings, among other things: “Soldiers are mighty. They defeat the aggressors and save our country.” More recently, he also appeared before the military junta in the country’s largest stadium, filled with thousands of supporters and military personnel.
Music video amid protests
Another success in Niger is the rap duo MDM, who sing in their new song “Niger Guida” (“Niger, my home” in the Hausa language, widespread in West and Central Africa, note): “Niger is our home, whoever attacks us must face the consequences. We are not afraid of death, come and kill us.”
As WDR also reported, the duo alludes, among other things, to the reactions of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which imposed economic sanctions against the military junta after the coup and even threatened military intervention.
They shot the song’s music video shortly after the president was deposed at a pro-military rally in Niger’s capital, Niamey. They are surrounded by many protesters with raised fists and Nigerien flags, as well as many military personnel.
Expert sees “too much censorship”
While only pro-military gatherings are allowed in Niger and many artists have remained silent since the coup, protests against the military junta can also be heard abroad. The well-known group Mdou Moctar recently declared its support for the deposed president at a concert in New York’s Central Park.
Many experts also doubt the widespread positive climate in Niger caused by many artists. “Most of the voices we hear now are those that are allowed,” quoted the “NYT” Ousseina Alidou, a Nigerian linguist at Rutgers University in New Jersey, who attested to, among other things, “a lot of censorship” by the military. leadership.
Patriotic and pro-military songs would also hide the grim prospect of increased censorship under military rule, as has recently occurred in the neighboring countries of Mali and Burkina Faso.
Artists don’t see the military as untouchable either.
But artists in Niger argued that even under the rule of deposed President Bazoum and his predecessor Mahamadou Issoufou, they had only limited freedom of expression. “As soon as democracy doesn’t work, people turn to the military,” singer Aichatou Ali Soumaila of the band Sogha told the NYT, whose 2016 song about the army has recently regained popularity.
However, many artists, including Souleymane Barke, member of the duo MDM, warned that they would also attack the military in their music if they went against the will of the people. “The powerful can be overthrown,” Soumaila agreed. You always have this letter in your hands.