Ghanaian-British artiste Fuse ODG has opened up about the deep inspiration behind his album, T.I.N.A. (This Is New Africa).
He revealed that, the years of negative media portrayals of Africa shaped both his identity struggles and his mission to change the narrative.
Speaking to NY DJ on Y102.5 FM’s Ryse and Shyne Show, the “Antenna” hitmaker shared an emotional reflection on growing up as a Ghanaian in the UK and constantly seeing Africa depicted as a continent of famine, poverty and diseases.
“What I was seeing in Africa was completely different from what the media was showing,” he explained. “The media painted Africa as a place of negativity, famine, death, poverty. But when I went back, I saw talent, opportunities, beautiful people and incredible energy.”
As a child growing up in London, he admitted he once felt embarrassed about being African because of the constant images of suffering broadcast on television.
“They were saying we were dying out here, there were diseases, famine, no money. People were donating to save us. At some point, I wasn’t proud to be African and that’s hard to admit” he mentioned.
According to him, that internal conflict eventually gave birth to T.I.N.A, a movement and album title meaning “This Is New Africa.” At the heart of the project is the deeply personal track “Letter to Tina,” which he describes as an apology letter to Africa.
“It was almost spiritual for me. It felt like I was apologizing for not acknowledging how beautiful Africa is, for not being proud. I was saying, ‘Take me back, because now I understand the truth” he said.
He believes Africans must take control of their own narratives instead of allowing foreign media to define them through a narrow lens of struggle, “We need to start telling our own stories, our success, our power.”
