Kendrick Lamar's dancer breaks silence after Super Bowl incident that got him banned for life
The dancer who unfurled a flag in tribute to Sudan and Palestine during Kendrick Lamar's halftime show has spoken out about why he did it.
Zül-Qarnain Nantambu, 41, is the bloke who was seen sprinting away from security across the football field at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday (9 February).
Lamar was joined by stars including SZA, Samuel L. Jackson, Serena Williams, and DJ Mustard at the Super Bowl, which was littered with subtle digs at Drake.
But the celebs were somewhat upstaged when a performer went rogue during the halftime show and began parading around the pitch with a banner displaying a combination of Palestine and Sudan's flags.
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He was eventually tackled by security and ejected from the stadium, while his antics went viral on social media.
Nantambu has since confirmed he was the dancer who deviated from the choreography and insisted he has no regrets about his actions at the Super Bowl.
According to the performer-turned-protestor, he was hired as a 'participant' in the halftime show and he was involved in preparations for it over the last two weeks.
Nantambu said he purposely opened up his flag in unison with other banners which were scheduled to be unfurled as part of Lamar's show, but insisted his plan had nothing to do with the rapper.
"I don't want to attribute any of that to [Lamar] because he didn't know anything about that," Nantambu told the Daily Mail.
Dubbing himself a 'freedom fighter', Nantambu said the flag stunt was 'not political' and instead was intended to 'show solidarity with the people suffering over there'.
"We live a life of luxury in comparison to what they're going through," he said. "'I wanted to show that we all are united, and they are loved.
"They are loved here by believers. They are prayed for here by believers. And we're in solidarity and unity with them, praying for the betterment of that situation."
The NFL confirmed Nantambu was a part of the 400-strong cast who were on the field for the show.
It then announced that the New Orleans-native would be receiving a lifetime ban from NFL stadiums and events in wake of the protest on the pitch.
But in Nantambu's eyes, he's got off lightly.
In another interview with Al Jazeera, the YouTuber said of his motivations for the stunt: "The risk of a ban? I was afraid I was going to get sniped by a Secret Service bullet.
"I can watch a football programme on the television if I choose to, sir."
Going on to discuss his motivations for the flag stunt, Nantambu said: "I thought that I could contribute to taking it to the next level with this activism and protest and enlightenment to make other people aware of whats going on in other parts of the world.
"A lot of people didn't know what's going on in Gaza, what's going on in Sudan and they feel like they're not being represented properly.
"So I had the opportunity to represent them on a global scale and I had to take that opportunity.
"Just even to get the prayers of the people. Just to get the prayers of Palestinians to the Sudanese."
Nantambu also told NBC News that he didn't chicken out at the last minute because he was inspired by the symbolism Lamar himself used in his performance.
"He had the people formulate the American flag; he had two big black flags with his record label," the performer added.
"And he talked about 'the revolution being televised,' and he talked about consciousness."
Topics: Kendrick Lamar, Sport, Super Bowl, US News, NFL
Olivia Burke