(CNN)Last March, at an event center in Nigeria, Burna Boy stood on stage with a mic in hand, in front of a captivated audience. But the world-famous Afro-fusion recording artist wasn't there to perform. Rather, he was addressing the crowd after receiving an official proclamation from the governor of his home state to honor his win at the 2021 Grammys for best global music album: "I thank the best governor I've ever experienced because you know say me na [you know I don't] even like politics or politicians."

That sort of love/hate sentiment often sums up how the self-proclaimed "African Giant" feels about his country and to a larger extent, his continent. Recently, CNN interviewed Burna Boy twice in a four-week period for an episode of African Voices Changemakers.
From the beginning, he makes it clear he doesn't like doing much talking, at least in English. Most of his answers are short and sometimes evasive -- but one of the areas he expands on is his dream that someday there would be one Africa.

Burna Boy rehearsing with his band in Los Angeles.
"It's just a wish, maybe a farfetched wish," Burna Boy says as he sits with his arms crossed in a room adjacent to a soundstage in Los Angeles, where he and his band are rehearsing for a concert happening the following day. "I wish we had one passport," he continues, which would make it easier for Africans to travel outside the continent. "I wish we could be considered like a United States, like the way America is ... (Let's say) me and you [referring to the American producer] want to go to Spain or wherever on a commercial flight -- let's see who gets in first."