DJ Switch (Obianuju Catherine Udeh)

Renovate Nigeria

DJ Switch (Obianuju Catherine Udeh) is a Nigerian disk jockey, musician, and creative producer who has utilized her platform to increase public awareness of violence against peaceful protesters in the #EndSARS movement. An accomplished artist, she is the winner of several musical competitions, including the Redbull 3Style North/West Africa Regional Championship (2019), X Factor West Africa (2013), and STARQUEST (2008). In addition to her mainstream musical success, she has also gained recognition for using her music to draw attention to social and political issues in Nigeria, notably in the songs “Pray SOTE,” “Nigeria Unite,” and the parody “Don’t Cry for Me Nigeria.” In June 2020, she launched the social media campaign #RenovateNigeria on Instagram to call attention to the National Assembly’s misplaced budget priorities and corrupt practices. Most recently, she was named “Culture Icon” of the year 2020 by Nigerian website YNaija, and was featured in Time magazine for her participation in the #EndSARS movement in Nigeria. After livestreaming the Nigerian army’s violent repression of peaceful protesters at Lekki Toll Gate in October 2020, DJ Switch has faced death threats, accusations of manufacturing the video content, and calls for arrest. She used her fellowship to develop creative social media content to engage citizens in advocating for human rights and democracy in Nigeria, and to explore building an organization around #RenovateNigeria to hold trainings on democracy and human rights at the grassroots level.