Stanley Omah Didia, a well-known Afropop artist who goes by the stage name Omah Lay, has shared his experience of being imprisoned in Uganda four years ago. Omah Lay and Tems had been invited to perform in Uganda in 2020 but were detained and charged after the event. According to Ugandan authorities, the Nigerian musicians violated COVID-19 social rules and laws in effect at the time. Despite what was a challenging time, Omah Lay has spoken about how a prison warden who was a fan took care of them, making the experience better than expected. During an interview with The Beat FM in London, the artist revealed that he spent two days in prison and that at one point, the wardens intended to shave his hair but were prevented from doing so by another warden. Omah Lay believes that his time in Ugandan prison was essential in his musical growth.
He said; “My ordeal in Ugandan prison was an amazing time for me. Although it was rough at the moment now looking back at the whole thing, it had to happen. It gave me the relationship I have with Tems and her manager, Muyiwa [Awoniyi] today. He [Muyiwa] was in the same cell with me
“We were in Uganda for a show during the pandemic. We had paperwork to perform but for some reason, we got arrested after performing. And we are sent to jail. We were in jail for two days.
“It was just a very horrible experience. I wouldn’t want anybody to go through that. They were going to cut my hair, I wore a prison uniform. They were so close to cutting my hair but the person who was in charge of the prison was a fan of my music. He got us a nice spot in jail and took care of us.”