Citation:
Jemiluyi, Omotayo. 2025. “Resisting Neocolonial Chains: African Emancipation in Brymo’s ‘Illusions.’” Muziki 21 (2): 70–86. https://doi.org/10.1080/18125980.2025.2488850.
Summary:
This article offers a critical reading of Illusions, a track from Nigerian musician Brymo’s 2022 album Theta, interpreting it as a musical blueprint for African emancipation and resistance to neocolonial ideologies. Through close lyrical analysis, the article traces the transformative journey of “Boyi,” a symbolic figure representing the postcolonial African subject. Boyi’s arc unfolds in four key stages—consciousness, journey, emancipation, and reclamation—each embodying a step away from colonial residue and toward autonomous African selfhood. The study argues that Brymo uses music not only to critique the lingering chains of colonial mentalities and Western validation, but also to propose an aesthetic and philosophical model of liberation grounded in African-centered identity. This work contributes to the growing body of scholarship on decolonial aesthetics and African popular music as a medium of political and cultural resistance.
Behind the Work:
I’ve long admired Brymo for his musical prowess and thoughts. His music often straddles the line between philosophy and poetry, integrating deep social commentary into sound. When he released Theta in 2022, one of the songs stood out for me and it was Illusions. From the very first listen, it struck a chord because it didn’t just sound good, it meant something. The lyrics felt like a quiet manifesto, a sort of profound meditation on Africa’s continued entanglement with the ghosts of colonialism and the hunger for external validation.
It took me time to gather my thoughts, to really sit with the song and its message. But the more I listened, the more I saw Illusions as a strategic story; a story of someone—of many—caught in a mental cage built by history, trying to carve a path toward liberation. And that someone became Boyi, the character he mentioned which I further construct in this article to mirror the symbolic arc of postcolonial African consciousness. For me, this article is not just a song analysis, it’s a tribute to African thinkers who resist through rhythm, and to artists like Brymo who are not afraid to trouble the waters.
Key Ideas:
- Illusions functions as a musical allegory of postcolonial struggle, centering the need for self-awareness and cultural decolonization.
- “Boyi” symbolizes the African subject wrestling with inherited subjugation and the desire for emancipation.
- The song’s structure and lyrics map a four-part journey: from awakening to breaking free, and ultimately to reclaiming identity on African terms.
- Music is framed as both resistance and reconstruction—a place where Africa can dream itself anew.
Relevance:
This article will resonate with scholars in decolonial studies, African popular music, cultural identity, and postcolonial theory. It is also a valuable resource for students and listeners interested in how African artists engage with politics, power, and history through sound.
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