by Aisha Kabiru Mohammed

//Anger wey dey boil like heater//Cross my meter//I got many problems// Nigerian singer, songwriter, and producer Bloody Civilian echos on the second verse of her 2022 debut single, “How to Kill a Man”. 

The song indicates damning the consequences and paints a vivid picture of a violent scene soundtracked by the familiar patterns of Afrobeats percussion. Her lyrics prescribe a manual for killing a man. The reason for killing the man is unknown. However, it is apparent that it fuels her anger, and her revenge will be meted out with no remorse. 

In an interview with Vogue Magazine, she mentions that she wrote the song to express her rage.“I think another thing about women that gets managed and micromanaged is our anger, so I wrote a song that defies all that. It did for me, and hopefully, it can do that for other women as well,” the artist stated. Before moving to the capital city of Abuja, Bloody Civilian (born Emoseh Khamofu) was raised in a small community in Taraba State, overrun by a flurry of political upheaval and whose population was evicted by the violence alluded to in her artist name. 

From "Wake Up", her electronic fusion track alongside Rema off the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack album, to her debut project Anger Management, she poses consistent themes. Her music explores resilience and courage and analyses the female Nigerian experience by questioning the norms women in the country are forced to accept.

The Culture of Meekness is Forced on Women

It is uncertain whether or not traditional black cultures accepted female rage before imperialism and colonialism. However, in the 21st century, to be perceived and treated as an angry black woman is to be demonised, discredited and forced to the sidelines. Women are constantly stifled with etiquette and manners, which do not accommodate or understand anger as a normal human reaction. Women around the world are taught to be gentle, kind, and quiet. According to an article by the Guardian, early in childhood socialization, rage is strongly linked to masculinity and manhood. Studies show that by the time most kids are toddlers, they already connect male faces with anger. Boys tend to emphasise less and occasionally deliberately discourage "softer" emotions like empathy, fear, and grief. These are frequently viewed as feminizing flaws, but fury is perceived as a sign of masculinity.

Studies also reveal that girls are routinely prevented from even recognising their outrage, speaking about unpleasant emotions, or being demanding in specific ways. Girls are urged to smile more, speak reasonably, and hide their emotions out of consideration for the comfort of others. Many illnesses endured mostly by women, such as various types of disordered eating, autoimmune disorders, chronic fatigue, and pain, are influenced by suppressed, repressed, misdirected, and disregarded rage.

Setting New Precedents of Revolutionary/Protest Music

Throughout history, many songs have been used as the soundtrack for protests and change. From Miriam Makeba's “Lakutsh Ilanga” on Apartheid to Davido's “Fem” played and sung during the #ENDSARS Protest, African musicians have provided anthems to various revolts against racism, colonialism, police brutality and injustice.

Protest music is described as any form of music written intentionally to rally or promote a cause or a grievance. Boody Civilian’s reference to the corruption and the economic hardships that plague Nigerians in her music qualifies it as protest music. Anger Management combines afrobeats and house music and spits out the bitter taste of her past. She represents the woke, socially conscious Gen Z with her nuanced music.

The dark synths, bass and emotion-laden lyrics in “Escapism” describe the poor economy, her ancestors judging her for her choices and the need to escape reality with psychedelics. The messaging in “Family Meeting” can be related to most African Women. On the track, the artist expresses her displeasure at the cultural practices of black sheep labelling and secondhand grooming in Africa, rooted in hypocrisy.

Bloody Civilian inspires women with her music to choose themselves. Her music shows that anger is a normal emotion for women. Her music can be referred to as instructions for female liberation and non-conformity. As more Nigerian women take off the garb of gender roles, embrace and express aspects of themselves they were made to believe should be rejected,. Bloody Civilians music serves as a means to document and inspire these events in history.