The Curious Case of Erykah Badu
Curious that the Minister of Information whose portfolio also includes multimedia communications did not take the trouble to find out more about the singer.
Stephen Doss
There were some people who were not happy with Erykah Badu’s decision to wear a niqab on stage at the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards. The niqab covers the face and is worn by some Muslim women.
In Malaysia, Erykah Badu’s concert scheduled to be held last Wednesday at the KL Convention Centre was banned. The Minister of Information announced on the eve of the concert that it could not proceed because a promotional photo of Badu with the Arabic word for Allah painted on her bare shoulders was “an insult to Islam.”
Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said he had proposed the cancellation of the concert from the aspect of security and importance of giving respect to religion, race and the socio-culture prevailing in Malaysia.
“If the concert had gone ahead, according to the police, there would have been a possibility of it developing into a situation that may lead to social excitement. It could lead to quarrels due to the religious sensitivities, like what had happened in other places in the world”. “The strong grounds in terms of the integrity of the religion, race and the Government itself had to be taken into consideration besides security factors,” he said.
He said the artiste’s move to inscribe the word “Allah” in Arabic on her body and not cover it up was an insult to Islam and was a serious matter. The Minister seemed to have reacted to a picture of Badu with the Arabic word Allah painted on her shoulder appearing in a local daily. It appears the Minister made his decision solely from looking at the picture.
We now know that the said picture was an old picture taken from a photoshoot of a body art referencing “The Painted Lady”, a character from the 1973 surrealist film The Holy Mountain by Chilean-French filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky. In the film, “The Painted Lady” was a character who had various names of God etched on her skin.
BADU HAS SINCE POINTED OUT THAT SHE HAS NO TATTOOS.
Unfortunate that the information was not available to the Minister of Information who chose to act without adequate information.
Curious that the Minister had not chosen to meet with the organizers or the singer who was present in Malaysia at the time, citing his busy work schedule.
Curious that the Minister chose to punish the organizers of the event, the singer and her Malaysian fans when it was not their fault that the local daily decided to use an old picture totally unrelated to her concert in Malaysia.
Curious that the Minister of Information whose portfolio also includes multimedia communications did not take the trouble to find out more about the singer, what she stands for, the content of her music, etc. In fact if he or his officers had only taken the trouble to Google, they would have found out the following;
Erica Abi Wright born February 26, 1971, better known by her stage name Erykah Badu is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, activist and actress. Her work includes elements from R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical stylings and sense of fashion. She is known as the “First Lady of Neo-Soul” or the “Queen of Neo-Soul”.
Badu’s style is a prime illustration of Neo-Soul in that it focuses on the contemporary styles of the genres soul and hip hop and it sends out a deeper message as opposed to common R&B music. The songs in Badu’s album, “Baduizm” exemplifies her personal take on life. Her philosophy features ideologies from African influences, with fusions from the Nation of Islam and the Five Percent theologies, the complex views of the ancient Egyptians, and Southern African-American folk traditions. The majority of Badu’s music is greatly influenced by her beliefs of the Nation of Islam and her African roots and heritage.
Badu also remains an activist in her hometown of South Dallas. Her charity organization, Beautiful Love Incorporated Non Profit Development (B.L.I.N.D. 501c3), provides community-driven development for inner-city youth through music, dance, theater and visual arts.
In the publication VegNews Magazine, July–August 2008, Ms. Badu stated: “Vegan food is soul food in its truest form. Soul food means to feed the soul. And to me, your soul is your intent. If your intent is pure, you are pure.”
I can only pray that the intentions of the people who made the decision to cancel the concert were as pure as they claim it to be. As Erykah Badu herself has said she is well aware that there is an election around the corner.
Curious that Pakatan Rakyat politicians who are usually quick to come to the defense of those who have not be given a fair hearing chose to remain silent, worse when the Wanita Wing of Parti Keadilan Rakyat and PAS have chosen to support the ban. I assume based on the same old picture of Erykah Badu. Clearly they have a long way to go from being the alternative they claim to be.
Erykah Badu has since left Malaysia to perform for a jazz festival in Indonesia the world’s most populous Muslim majority nation.
When asked if she would return to perform in Malaysia if the opportunity presented itself, she said: “I have faith in people’s ability to evolve. That’s why I do what I do.”.
Stephen Doss is a social activist and can be reached on twitter at @stephendoss
(This article was initially written for my column in The Malay Mail but was axed as the paper didn’t want to run foul of the Ministry belonging to Rais Yatim)
