Grammy Award-winning artist Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has encouraged people around the world to break away from stereotypes and experience African culture firsthand—beginning with Nigeria and Ghana.
Speaking with Fashion Bomb Daily during the 2025 Met Gala in New York, Tems urged international audiences to travel to West Africa to gain a true sense of life on the continent. She highlighted the cultural depth and creative energy found across Africa.
I always encouraged people to go to Lagos and Ghana for vacation. Just go and see for yourself before you make an opinion [about Africa]. See it for yourself and see how you feel.
According to Tems, Africa’s beauty is reflected in its vibrant traditions, music, fashion, and the everyday expression of creativity by its people.
I think it [the beauty of Africa] is in the creativity, the daily efforts, the looks, the songs, the traditions and the cultures.
She also addressed common misconceptions about African music, emphasizing that it encompasses a wide range of genres beyond the globally recognized Afrobeats.
We [Africans] can go further in every single aspect of sound. We are not just Afrobeats. There is Amapiano, Afrosoul, R&B, Afro Jazz. There are so many genres in African music that people are not all the way tapped into yet.
Tems’ remarks added depth to the Met Gala spotlight, using the global platform to shine a light on the richness and diversity of African identity and sound.