Tuface ‘s Shamefaced Phase -By Ariwoola Samuel Akinwale

The late Rastafarian and reggae star, Ras Kimono, was asked by that brilliant podcast host, Teju Babyface, in one of his shows, to name which of the current Naija artistes would stand the test of time. Kimono, being a man of few words, hesitantly named two Afrobeat stars to watch out for.

His response: Tuface and Yemi Alade. Why? Because Tuface is humble and cool-headed—two virtues lacking in stardom today. I have since then taken him seriously and learned to keep a keen eye on his career trajectory curiously.

In the last few days, however, the originator of “African Queen” has been in the eye of the storm. He came under intense fangs from fans and foes on social media over an apparent controversy with his new bride, Natasha Idibia.

Barely a year since the protracted controversy surrounding his relationship with Annie Idibia, Tubaba tight the knot with the honourable member representing Edo Northwest Constituency in the Edo State House of Assembly. Flamboyant and elegant Natasha is from the Igbinedion dynasty in Benin.

They had thrilled us with apparently a silent consummation of their marriage barely two months ago, until this sudden revelation that all is not well in their marriage. Both had been under the scrutiny of the public radar.

Sadly, this was coming at a time when one thought they should be in their honeymoon; suddenly the moon became inhabitable for them without carrying their fans along. Our music legend surreptitiously appeared in a viral video where he was seen in a foreign retail market in London apprehended by the police. Initially, there was denial of this incident until nothing could be hidden any longer.

In that video, the voice of Natasha dominated the scene, reminding his hearers: “this is not Nigeria, you can’t talk to a woman anyhow.” This is rather too early I thought.

My people say the man who marries a borokini (elite) woman keeps an active day and sleepless night. This is even more complicated when one is also a music star.

In one video she made, the honourable lawmaker intoned: “I am not his ex-wife. I am Natasha Igbinedion; I’m only trying to correct his generational mistakes.” Underline the last four words, whatever that may mean. Where couples become skit makers, venting their disappointment through video for a social media audience, something far more important than their marriage is already at stake. Caution is always needed.

Where the village is your orchestra, the dancing step is beyond you. Another variant of that saying among my people goes thus: Have a dialogue with your stomach before going to a party where the community is your cook.

This was the fate of Tubaba in the last few days: twice he has made videos pleading for sobriety from fans and fiends on the media to lay his case to rest.

But this is social media—a fertile terrain for idle imagination. In his current situation, he would have read strange stories, where he is both the antagonist and protagonist in just one script drawn from the blues by minds bereft of conscience. Tuface would have seen his story pass him, rehashed or under-researched, captured without his consent, travelling like a whirlwind across geographical shores, with callers inundating his phones, beseeching if it was true.

Please tell Tubaba not to make any further video; any clip released right now only slows down the momentum of a viral cycle. Like the COVID-19 virus or its variant in 2021, it has a cycle, vaccination not withstanding. Tell him to wait until the story reaches its satiation point—a diminishing course will sooner set in. It was not for nothing we called it a “viral video.” It must fulfill its cycle.

There is also a reason we call platforms like Facebook and X social media: like a traditional village council, the community sees to every matter brought before it—both idiots and the wise are actors here.

In this court, they tear down, mend, and re-tear marriages brought before them. When they are done, your marriage would never remain the same again!

Moreover, Tubaba thrills his audience with beautiful lyrics that capture their imagination when played. Now, it’s their turn to play for him, let him dance to it. This is a price for celebrity status.

Stardom is complicated, more so when you have extraordinary gifting. Once scandals and private life get to the public, it becomes extraordinarily complicated– taking a course of its own. Hence, icons must learn to bear their curse. “Every gift comes with a curse.” That quote isn’t mine; I owe it to M. Scott Peck—psychiatrist, spiritualist, and author of that timeless classic, “The Road Less Travelled.”

Tuface is in that category—an unusual plane where complicated life (talent) and delicate terrain (stardom) converge. Watching him in those videos, our man appears too simple for the hand life dealt him.

But our stars are humans and many times without the emotional capacity to manage the demand that comes with stardom. Hence, drugs, sex, and weird exploration of self and life drive many to the grave before their time.

Extraordinary artistes aren’t always successful husbands and fathers—not because they aren’t caring or loving like the rest of us, but because they struggle between “self” and “the world”—the ideal and complicated nature of their unique destiny. With “women, women, women all over me” (apologies to Ebenezer Obey), their lives are beyond them, marriage inclusive.

In another video, Tubaba requested for his wife to be left alone; we should trouble her less, he demanded. Coming under flak from the public and a raging home where the woman blames one for everything that went wrong, I can imagine where he’s coming from.

Right now, Natasha is invited before the Edo Assembly for the part she played in that clip—a bored gathering is sitting over what was considered indecorous from one of their own.

“Husband, deal with your wife with love,” says the good book. Our icon is faced with the problem of what the public would say again if he fails in this. For a man with a reputation for many baby mamas and a recently estranged marriage, intense queries await him from a generation with little respect for decorum and privacy.

People like Alabi Pasuma quickly realized marriage isn’t for them early in their career. They are forever in bachelorhood. Even Abami Eda, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, with his gravitas, once kept a harem of women. He got married to 27 of them in one day and divorced them all in another day. He learned what it meant to be a “husband” in a short time.

Tubaba, this is what you said you would become: Here you are, live it! Tuface, face this phase, but heed the wisdom in it. It is plain and clear if you listen carefully. Privacy must remain privacy.

Ariwoola Samuel Akinwale wrote this piece from Lagos. He can be contacted via ariwoolaakinwale@gmail.com