SHOWBUZZ: Victoria Kimani reveals why she ditched Kenya for Nigeria

Singer Victoria Kimani has never been afraid to point out the lack of support towards Kenyan music and she has done it again. This time she took to Instagram where she pointed an accusing finger at brands for not using local personalities to market their products and those who pay foreign artistes boat loads of money to headline shows while local artistes get peanuts.

She basically says it is the reason she left Kenya and if the trend continues pretty soon no one is going to afford local artistes after they get opportunities away from home.

“Riding around Nairobi, seeing billboards on top of billboards of these shows, why are none of us headlining? Why does it have to be this way? Year after year we constantly place every other country, city, town above our own. Not every artiste has the opportunities that a few of us have to leave Kenya and be seen on stages with that wide Africa reach, what the hell would I do if I didn’t have those opportunities? I’d sit here and either throw my own concert (coming soon) or wait to be some so-called opening act for less than Sh200K while we watch them make $50,000 - $100,000 right in our face!”

She continued “Why can’t we learn from Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria, South Africa and many more and be as excited to see ourselves as we are others? And then get mad and want to call me Nigerian because I am blessed to be booked there from time to time. This self-hate has to change pretty soon or we will keep losing gems like Lupita who many of you literally chased away, then get mad if she acts brand new on you when she’s back home. All I’m saying is book us now before you can no longer afford us. Brands too.... use your local faces! Give the youth a chance.... don’t chase our artistic dreams away. You guys are sleeping on Picasso and Mozart, are you stupid?”

According to Nigerian websites, Kimani is set to leave Chocolate City, her record label, after she is done promoting her album Safari. Apparently the contract ended in 2015 and she gave her album Safari to the label in good faith.