A storm is brewing in the African creative industry following the high-profile Africa Forward Summit, where leading artistes were seen mingling with French President Emmanuel Macron.
While the event was positioned as a bridge for cultural diplomacy, it has instead triggered a heated debate on the commodification of African art and the ethics of political proximity.
Kenyan singer-songwriter Nviiri TheStoryteller has since taken to social media to sharply criticise fellow creatives.
In a series of widely circulated posts, Nviiri warned of what he described as a "dangerous trend" in which African artistes confuse access to power with meaningful social impact.
The controversy comes amid renewed scrutiny of French influence in Africa, particularly in West Africa. For him, images of African cultural figures on the red carpet alongside President Macron felt contradictory to the themes of liberation often explored in their own work.
"Artists are not state ornaments. We are not PR machinery. We are not puppets," Nviiri stated in a viral post. He further argued that art should function as "memory, resistance, and conscience," not as a decorative backdrop for governments with histories "rooted in exploitation, extraction, and control."
The remarks underscore a widening rift within the industry between those who see such summits as an opportunity for global visibility and those who view them as a refined form of "neo-colonial PR."
Nviiri rejected the positioning, arguing that Pan-Africanism was born out of resistance to colonialism, not associated with those who benefited from it.
"And no, France does not get to suddenly call itself ‘Pan-African,’" the artiste wrote, reflecting growing scepticism among younger Africans towards foreign-led development forums.
Reactions online have been sharply divided.
Supporters of the attending artistes argue that "having a seat at the table" is essential for influencing policy and securing better terms for the creative economy.
Critics, however, counter that if the table is constructed by the very systems under scrutiny, the seat risks becoming symbolic rather than substantive.
Nviiri closed his remarks by challenging industry elites to reflect on their principles beyond the public stage.
"I will continue striving to be a community artist before anything else," he said. "Because integrity is expensive. And not everybody can afford it."