A SEAT AMONG KINGS; DAVIDO, DIPLOMACY AND THE COST OF LOYALTY

A SEAT AMONG KINGS; DAVIDO, DIPLOMACY AND THE COST OF LOYALTY

By Linda Banks ©

October 25th (SUSSEX)- In the marble floored halls of the Élysée Palace in Paris, a photograph has quietly made history. Nigeria’s global music star Davido stood beside French President Emmanuel Macron, not for a casual handshake, but for a symbolic meeting at the intersection of art, diplomacy and destiny. While Davido’s invitation to this level is a triumph of personal purpose and resilience, it also raises a critical question facing many African nations: who do our leaders choose to uplift, and what does that reveal about how we value our own?

From a Father’s Discipline to the World Stage.

Davido’s journey began in discipline and tension. Born into privilege, his father Adedeji Adeleke, a billionaire businessman and founder of Adeleke University, forbade him from pursuing music until he had completed his studies. “Finish school first,” his father insisted. Davido has often recounted how his father sent police officers to drag him out of studios and back to class. Yet fate, like music, has its own timing. Davido eventually graduated, fulfilling his father’s wish, and went on to craft a career that now commands global respect. His story is proof that education and creativity need not be enemies, and that sometimes the very restraint that feels limiting can build the foundation for lasting greatness.

Loyalty as the Currency of Triumph.

What made the Paris meeting particularly striking was Davido’s decision to bring along his close friends,men who believed in him long before the spotlight found him. In an era when success often breeds isolation, Davido’s loyalty stands as a quiet sermon on gratitude. It reminds us that real success is not measured by who stands beside you when the cameras flash, but by who was beside you when the lights were off.

Macron’s Strategy and Africa’s Soft Power

President Macron’s invitation was no accident. France’s relationship with Africa has long been entangled in the shadows of its colonial history, and Macron knows that the rhythm of the future lies in African youth and culture. By aligning himself with an artist like Davido, he taps into Africa’s creative energy, hoping to rebuild bridges through music and soft diplomacy. Yet while such gestures are powerful, they also highlight a painful contrast,foreign leaders and institutions often celebrate African talent more enthusiastically than African governments themselves.

The Zambian Mirror

In Zambia, the pattern is all too familiar. Our president frequently honours visiting foreign dignitaries, entertainers or philanthropists while local artists and journalists continue to be overlooked. I remember vividly when President Hakainde Hichilema visited the United Kingdom. As a journalist, I happened to be  in the same hotel, just a floor below him. Despite being surrounded by Zambians who had championed his cause, he did not extend the courtesy of a greeting. A few moments later, he granted a rushed interview to a foreign journalist,perhaps because they were white.

The trend did not end there. Last year, when Australian-based Zambian artist Sampa the Great visited her home country, we found ourselves petitioning State House to recognise her. It took repeated appeals before she received an invitation, while a visiting American entertainer had been welcomed without hesitation.

Zambia cannot rise to greatness if its leaders do not deliberately celebrate their own. A nation that sidelines its artists, ignores its journalists, and undervalues its entrepreneurs cannot truly claim progress. The slogan “Zambia Ku Calo” once stirred hope, but today it feels like another promise lost to political theatrics.

Lessons from Leaders Who Believed in Their Own

Leadership is not about grandeur, it is about connection. True leaders understand that greatness is measured not by the company of the powerful but by how they empower the ordinary. In America, former President Barack Obama set an enduring example. He would occasionally call small, struggling entrepreneurs, black or white and order from them directly. One such story involved a local doughnut maker, Obama picked up the phone himself to place an order. The man nearly fainted, unable to believe the President of the United States was on the line. That single call changed his business overnight, propelling it into global visibility.

That is what leadership looks like, empowerment in action. Not speeches, not slogans, but small gestures that uplift ordinary citizens. We need more of that spirit in Zambia. We need leaders who see value in their own people, who buy from local entrepreneurs, who recognise their journalists, who fund their artists, and who speak their native languages with pride.

How can Zambia aspire to greatness when its scribes are treated like second class citizens? How can our stories rise when those who tell them are underpaid and undervalued? Recently, we heard about journalists at ZNBC struggling under poor working conditions and have gone for months without pay . Yet these are the very people entrusted to tell our national story. If the storyteller is silenced, the nation loses its voice.

True progress demands that leaders invest in their journalists. A nation that refuses to pay its truth-tellers will eventually be ruled by lies.

A Conscious Recognition

The image of Davido and Macron is more than a moment of celebrity diplomacy, It is a mirror reflecting our potential and our complacency. It challenges us to ask: who do we elevate, and why? It reminds African leaders that greatness is not found in photo opportunities with foreigners, but in the empowerment of their own citizens.

Davido’s journey,from being pulled out of studios by his father to standing in the palace of France embodies the African dream fulfilled through perseverance, humility and loyalty. When God prepares your table, He also reminds you to leave space for those who helped you build it.

Let this be Africa’s lesson, the road to greatness is not paved with borrowed validation but with the empowerment of our own people. Loyalty lasts longer than fame, and nations that invest in their storytellers, creators and dreamers will never go silent.

Linda Banks is a journalist covering politics, justice, social issues and international affairs across Africa and the UK.

© 2025 Linda Banks. All rights reserved.

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