‘This idiot was proud he had a successful concert while our artistes starved’ — Cindy Sanyu, Ugandan singer, slams Omah Lay

Cindy Sanyu, a Ugandan singer, has described Omah Lay as an “idiot” for posting about his sold out concert on social media while artists in the east-African country are starving amid the COVID-19 lockdown. 

TheCable Lifestyle had reported how Omah Lay and Tems, two fast-rising Nigerian singers, were arrested alongside four other Ugandans over their involvement in an unauthorised concert that held on Saturday night in Ddungu Resort in Munyonyo, Kampala City.

Both singers were on Monday charged to court and remanded in police custody for flouting the guidelines put in place by the Ugandan government towards curbing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This has stirred outrage on social media platforms with many Nigerians, including celebrities, calling for the singers’ release from the custody of Ugandan police.

A female artist in UG pic.twitter.com/IE7r3qnnqt

— JONAM’S PRINCESS👑👑 (@AtimCharlotte) December 14, 2020

Cindy, who seemed to be in support of Omah Lay and Tems’ detention, put out a video wherein she lamented how the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown measures in Uganda had made life unbearable for musicians.

“This is Cindy… I’ve got something on my mind and I think I should just say it. So we as artists since the lockdown have been trying to stay quiet for the good of the country because of this whole lockdown corona situation. And while we are doing this we are the ones who are being ignored the most,” she said.

“No more shows, bars were closed and every avenue that an artist could have made some money for lunch, their children, their health was stopped first. But even up till now artists have totally been ignored so a lot of artists are starving, a lot of artists are in heavy debts right now and it doesn’t have to be me, to feel it because I’m a fellow artist.”

The singer thereafter criticised Omah Lay, who she branded an “idiot”, for performing in a concert with a large crowd in Uganda and “proudly” showing it off on social media while “our artistes starved”.

“So in all our silence, a foreigner had a concert in this country and actually got a filled up concert where there was no social distancing, there were no masks and this Idiot even posted it online and he was very proud about the fact that he had a successful concert in Uganda,” she added.

“So it’s official, I am a hooligan and I am proud because I don’t agree with this. It’s not fair, It’s not right by any standard that you look at it. You may try to put down the positive, try to hide it, but it was a concert and it happened during the lockdown while artistes here are starving.”