On Tuesday, Nicki Minaj took a surprising stage at the United Nations headquarters in New York. Standing alongside US Ambassador Mike Waltz, the Trinidadian American rapper used her platform to support a politically charged narrative about a genocide of Christians in Nigeria.
In her speech, Minaj praised Trump for his focus on the subject. Her address followed his administration’s designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern.” Her appearance instantly lent her massive star power to the administration’s claims.
The Situation on the Ground
The reality in Nigeria is far more tangled than any single narrative can capture. The country is experiencing a severe security crisis where violence cuts across faith lines.
In the first half of 2025 alone, over 2,266 people were killed in attacks by bandits and insurgents, a death toll that already surpasses the total for all of 2024.
Groups like Boko Haram and armed bandits in states like Zamfara attack civilians indiscriminately, and farmer-herder conflicts claim victims from all communities.
In fact, research by Malik Samuel found that in Borno state, Boko Haram’s primary victims are often the local Muslim community.
Nigerian leaders have pushed back against the simple characterization of religious intolerance.
President Bola Tinubu rejected the framing, and Senator Orji Uzor Kalu noted the shared suffering of all victims.
Tellingly, Nigerian officials were excluded from participating in the UN event, with US officials citing fears of retribution against the speakers.
Fame and Politics
Minaj’s political stance is not without precedent. For decades, prominent performers have lent their voices to Republican candidates, from Jesse Owens in 1936 to more recent stars like Ye and Mike Tyson.
The occurrence is a familiar one, where immense wealth and status can alter a person’s perception of the world. It is a progression where personal achievement can seem like communal uplift.
Access is granted through presidential meetings and high-profile photo ops, creating the appearance of affecting outcomes.
The phenomenon can be understood through ideas like cultural hegemony, where the dominant worldview seems like common sense, or what some thinkers call false consciousness.
An Agenda Behind the Platform
The UN event was carefully staged. The invitation to Minaj originated directly from Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz, and the affair was heavily guided by American evangelical organizers. Such groups have poured millions of dollars into molding African countries like Nigeria in their conservative image.
The context makes Trump’s rhetoric more alarming. His threat to send troops “guns blazing” into Nigeria reframes the country’s convoluted internal security problems into a narrative that justifies American intervention. It echoes the “civilizing missions” that European powers once used to justify colonialism.
Minaj positioned her speech as a principled stand for religious freedom. On the inherently political stage of the United Nations, however, her presence served as a powerful endorsement of a specific agenda.
Identity and Star Power
Political scientist Kanchan Chandra’s work on ethnic identity helps explain the choices at play. She uses the example of a Trinidadian American woman who can choose to accentuate different aspects of her identity depending on her social surroundings and what she hopes to achieve.
Minaj, born in Trinidad and raised in New York, chose to activate her platform for the political cause in question.
With hundreds of millions of fans, known as the Barbz, her ability to affect opinion is undeniable. As entertainment historian Ellis Cashmore has noted, the charisma that moves products so effectively translates differently in the world of policy.
Nigeria’s future depends on Africans, and its security predicaments require nuanced, internal remedies. The responsibility attached to a global megaphone is immense, and history will be the ultimate judge of how it is used.
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