Afrobeats singer, Temilade Openiyi aka Tems has spoken out about her harrowing experience in a Ugandan prison in 2020.
In an interview with ESMagazine, Tems recounted her time in a cramped cell with multiple women, fearing physical abuse if she made a mistake.
The Nation reported that Tems and fellow singer Omah Lay were arrested on December 13, 2020, for performing at an unauthorised concert and violating COVID-19 protocols.
They were charged with spreading infectious diseases and detained for two days.
Tems described her experience as “humbling” and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to understand the struggles of detained women.
She said: “Prison was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I feel honoured to have had because otherwise, I would never have thought about these people, and to be in their presence was very humbling,” she said.
‘I asked one of the girls there, “Do they beat people up here? Am I gonna be beat up?’ And she was like, ‘Only if you misbehave.’
After her release, Tems advocated for the rights of women and children detained in similar circumstances.
