Marcus Rashford: Lessons for African Celebrities

Celebrities across the continent would have to do more to influence government policies in their country. Indeed Africa boast of many of them in their nest of millions. Be it in the music, film or entertainment industry, football and other sports, the voice of celebrities is so powerful it could resonate the unheard voices of the poorest of the poor in the community. Whether it is in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa or Zimbabwe, Angola or Congo, Africa has a pool of some of the most talented and influential celebrities in the world. What is starkly different however is that African celebrities rarely intervene in government policies to protect children and the most vulnerable in their societies. The English footballer Marcus Rashford wrote to MPs requesting them to extend food vouchers to poor children in the community, they listened, now the poorest of children will not go hungry. In contrast, African children are at the receiving end of this coronavirus pandemic, with millions already living on extremely poor diet even before the pandemic. With no serious policy to mitigate poverty throughout the virus crisis, children don’t have the voice to air their pleas, no one to lean on, no one to speak for them. It’s high time Nigerian celebrities and indeed celebrities across Africa start using their celebrity influence in shaping government policies for the benefit of the most vulnerable in their community.