The recent passing of Jimmy Cliff has renewed attention on the life and experiences of the Jamaican reggae legend — including his “bitter-sweet experience” during his first visit to Nigeria decades ago.
In a July 2012 interview with The Arts Desk, the 81-year-old recalled the sweet part of his trip, explaining that upon his arrival in Nigeria, thousands of fans were at the airport to welcome him, lining the streets all the way to his hotel.
“My first trip to Africa was Nigeria. It was a bitter-sweet experience. Sweet because of the thousands of people at the airport awaiting me,” he said.
“I’d never had that adulation. I only saw it for The Beatles, so to have it for myself was really great. They lined the street from the airport to the hotel. It was amazing.”
The bitter part, he revealed, began when a show promoter accused him of failing to honour a previous performance agreement in London. The promoter filed a civil suit against him while he was in Nigeria.
Cliff said the allegation led to his arrest, and he was “thrown in jail,” where he spent three nights in detention.
He added that when the case finally went to court, the promoter’s claim collapsed due to a complete lack of evidence, and the suit was dismissed.
“The bitter part of it was I got thrown in jail for no reason at all. A man came and said, ‘I was the one who was supposed to bring Jimmy Cliff to Africa. I had a contract with him in London and he didn’t turn up, so now he’s here I’m taking out a civil suit against him,’” he said.
“They put me in jail for three nights. When I went to court — where’s the evidence? Nothing! So they threw it out. Nigeria was a pretty rough place, but I didn’t mind — I liked the energy.”
The incident was significant enough that he referenced it in his 1976 single ‘The News’.
“Have you heard the news/ Have you heard the news/ Have you heard the news/ Have you heard the news,” the lyrics read.
“I was in Africa down in Nigeria/ Oh they threw me in jail/ I had one hell getting bail.”
In the song, Cliff also dismissed the promoter’s claims as “lies and propaganda” designed to “scandalise my name.”
“They scandalizing my name/ They want to make me look shame/ Because I got little fame/ They want to make me look shame… It started by some liar/ Spreading like wildfire/ Propaganda all around…”
Cliff passed away on Monday after suffering a seizure linked to pneumonia. The veteran reggae singer is survived by his wife, Latifa, and their two children, daughter Lilty and son Aken.
