June 27, (THEWILL) – Omoyeni is the sassy, classy and down-to-earth first daughter of legendary Afro-beat musician Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. In this no holds barred interview with IVORY UKONU, she speaks on love, activism, perseverance and what it means to be a Kuti. Excerpts.
Your 60th birthday party, which was the talk of the town, has come and gone. Did it meet your expectations?
We tried to limit the attendance to just a few people because of COVID-19. But somehow, people found their way into the party. I saw some people that we didn’t invite to the party. I offended a lot of people and I have had to beg them since. Did it meet my expectations? I wanted to have a nice party and I hope it turned out to be just that. I personally didn’t really enjoy myself because I was stressed out. I hope the people who attended enjoyed themselves. I just wanted to entertain people.
At the party, there was an altercation that involved your brother, Seun, which got people talking on social media. Some insinuated it was a faceoff between him and the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Would you care to clear the air on that?
It wasn’t about Seun and the governor, although that was the impression given by some people who wanted to sell fake news. Seun’s wife was passing by and a security officer attached to the governor stopped her. Seun said his wife was pushed. He later explained to the governor and even apologised to him.
A few Nigerians felt that the presence of the governor at your party was a slight on what your late father stood for. They wondered why you would be rubbing shoulders with politicians whom your father bashed constantly through his music
I can rub shoulders with whosoever I want. I don’t read social media comments. If you are going to say anything negative about me, then you are just doing so in your own capacity as a human being who should have an opinion anyway. And if such comments happen to come to my phone, I block it. I don’t let social comments affect me. Besides, the governor and my partner, Theo Lawson, are in-laws. I knew him before he became governor. I am not a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress nor am I in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party. So if they want to make comments and it makes them feel good, all is well and good. It is not going to affect me in anyway. A lot of people were actually happy that the governor graced my party. I don’t live for other people, I live for myself.
On the morning of your birthday, you were presented a brand-new Sports Utility Vehicle…
Oh! I was shocked, happy, overwhelmed and flabbergasted. In fact, my party should have ended there because I jubilated so much that when it was time for the party, I was already exhausted and just wanted to sleep. My co-hosts reached out to people who could afford to pool money together to get the SUV. I have been given a list of these names and I have reached out to them to thank them for their kind gesture.
Also, a few days to your birthday, a parcel of land was given to you as a birthday gift
In fact, I had even forgotten I was given a parcel of land until the deed was brought for me to sign so it can be handed over to me. I was over the moon about it.
What do you plan to do with the parcel of land?
I am still confused. I spent all my money to throw a party. But first I need to secure the land. My partner and I will decide what to do with it; either to put up a place for rent or turn it into another country home making it our third home. We already have two homes: my own house and his own house. I would most likely put it in the name of my grandchildren eventually when I get round to tidying everything. That way, my grandchildren will always have a reason to come home.
Speaking of your partner, what has kept both of you going strong for 15 years?
I think it is because we give each other space. I live in my house and I also live in his house. He lives in his house and he sometimes comes to my house. In my opinion, what destroys a lot of marriages is not giving each other space. Human beings need their own space, their own ‘me time’. In marriages, there are no ‘me times’. In this part of the world, you get married today and in nine months, you already have a child. Most times, women go from their parents’ houses to their husbands’ houses and then the children begin to come almost immediately. The women never get to have their own ‘me time’ and they start feeling stifled. The same thing applies to a lot of men who marry young, say between 23 and 25 years. Even 30 years, to me, is young. Women are marrying at 21. What do they know at that age to want to get married? They haven’t had time to be independent and then end up being dependent on their husbands and vice versa. Maybe if Theo and I were married, we would have broken up.
So you don’t plan to formalise your relationship?
Maybe when I am 75 and he is 77.
Why would you want to get married at that age?
By then, we won’t be able to give each other space as we would both be retired and living together. But seriously, what we have works for us. So why spoil a good thing? If we marry now and break up a year later, does it make sense? I know of some couples that got married and broke up a year later.
How did you guys meet?
He was the consulting architect of my father’s monument. We had known each other before then. I was in a relationship and he was married, but I thought he was a cute guy and I fancied him from afar.
Besides being Fela Kuti’s daughter and being a television host, what other things do you do?
I run the shrine, I manage the family’s estate and I am the brain behind the annual Felabration.
What is the idea behind Felabration?
Fela died a few months shy of his 59th birthday. He looked forward to celebrating his 60th birthday and then he died. The reaction to his death across the world was overwhelming and so I thought of keeping his memory alive. I didn’t want to do that by celebrating the day he died, but the day he was born. So we had the first Felabration in October 1998. It was not called Felabration at the time. We couldn’t do it the following year because we were on a playing tour. But in October, 2000, we dedicated The Shrine and used the opportunity to host a concert in his honour and it has continued in that tradition. Basically, Felabration is about keeping Fela’s legacy alive and also a time to give back. And there is one woman who made a strong impression on me with her work with children living with cerebral palsy. Her name is Nonye Nweke. She is the founder and Executive Director of the Cerebral Palsy Centre. I think what she is doing is laudable and I want to continue to help her. I mean I obviously can’t do it myself, but I think that if we can help people like that, who most times find it difficult to get money, the world will be a better place.
The next Felabration is almost around the corner. With life returning to normal once again after the initial scare ignited by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, how do you plan to celebrate it?
This year’s theme will be called, Viva Nigeria, Viva Africa (Long live Nigeria, long live Africa). Fela believed in African unity and so do we. Also, we are still under a curfew and still not allowed to host a gathering of more than 500 people. We will see how we can work around that. We don’t get much sponsorship, but what I try to do is to save money from every edition of Felabration so when the next one happens, instead of waiting for sponsors, we already have money to spend on the concert and for giving back. I am of the firm belief that those who have should give back because Africans need help. The hunger and poverty in the North is palpable. In 1981 when Shehu Shagari was the president and the northerners were everywhere, controlling things, I remember assuming that the North will be well developed with a lot of wealthy people. But when I got there, I was shocked by the level of poverty. I don’t know what the government is doing about the situation. That is one situation I would love to change in my lifetime if I have the means. I am not a tribalist in any way. I think we are all the same. I think we are all one Africa not even one Nigeria. African unity is what my father preached and that is what I believe in.
So would you say you went all out to celebrate your 60th birthday because your dad didn’t live long enough to clock 60 years?
Yes, it is one of the reasons. My mum did not see her 51st birthday. We were on a playing tour abroad (my brother and I) when she clocked 50 and we didn’t get to celebrate with her or for her. My parents died relatively young.
What do you think about the current situation in Nigeria?
First, I don’t believe in war. What with all the agitations happening. But I am a strong advocate of restructuring. I think states should be allowed to manage their resources. Again, I think we have too many states. What we should have is regions. I think Nigeria is rich in terms of natural resources. That is why the Chinese and the Indians always want to come here. They see what we have, which we do not see and do not utilize, and they want that. We have become so dependent on oil that we have neglected all the other resources we can exploit. We are only interested in oil that many countries are already making plans to jettison. Electric cars are being manufactured in other parts of the world. But we can’t use that here because we lack constant supply of electricity. It’s just a sorry situation. Take for instance Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State who sees the huge amount of money that can be made just from exporting marijuana. But because we have a myopic way of thinking as Nigerians, people now assume that we will all turn to junkies if that happens. The man is forward thinking. The whole world has left Nigeria behind. Marijuana is used for a legion of things ranging from beauty and skincare products to resolving health issues.
Unlike your brother Seun, you aren’t much of an activist
It depends. But I don’t shy away from voicing my opinion if I disagree with what the government is doing. I don’t mince words. I may not be able to mention names because I am under employment somewhere, but everyone knows that I am not going to support any rubbish. In fact, three to four weeks before the election in 2015, I stopped appearing on the show because I wasn’t in support of the All Progressive Congress or this government. I had things to say and we were not allowed to criticise on the show. So I felt it was better I sat down in my house. Then after the election, we were allowed to talk. But having said that, the older you are, the more circumspect you become. If I have a comment or an opinion about anything, I will put it up on social media. But I don’t even have the time to be on social media.
But the TV station that hosts your show is owned by an APC stalwart. Didn’t you think being a co-host would be a conflict of interest?
I didn’t think about it. Besides, I joined the show about nine years ago, when Babatunde Fashola was governor of Lagos State. At that time, there was no APC. Besides, we weren’t really stifled on the show except a few weeks before the general elections.
Why were you asked to join the show in the first place?
I don’t know. I got a phone call inviting me to be on the show and it was something I really wanted to do. I had been talking with some TV stations because my friend, Carol King and I wanted to do a talk show. But then I got the call from Television Continental and that was it.
When you mentioned earlier that you were under employment, does that mean you actually get paid for your time on the show?
Just a stipend. But it isn’t about the money. Like I said, it was something I had always wanted to do. There are some things you can’t equate with money. People know me now, not as Fela’s daughter, but as Yeni Kuti based on what I can say or do. I can’t run away from being Fela’s daughter. That is part of who I am, but now I have an identity independent of being Fela’s daughter. I can’t deny the value that the show has brought into my life. I also like the way we touch lives on the show.
What else do you enjoy doing?
I love to entertain. I love to host parties. I normally never enjoy myself when I host parties, but if the guests are enjoying themselves, that is fine by me, it gives me a sort of satisfaction when I succeed in making people happy. I took that from my dad. Another thing I inherited from him is dressing up. It is a passion for me. It is a way of life for me. I enjoy it. I don’t think I have as much clothes as Fela did when he was alive. Before the government burnt his house, he had a room full of clothes. The clothes that we put on display in the museum are so many. There are so many boxes of clothes that we plan to auction.
What fond memories can you recall growing up as Fela’s child?
It was the only life I knew. At one point, my parents lived apart because my mum had to move out. She was always getting sick. Because my father had too many women in his life, that emotional trauma affected her and she had ulcer. Her doctor advised her to move out. Our house was always one big party so to speak. The house was never quiet at any point in time. Now as an adult, being referred to as Fela’s child is a good thing, a thing of pride now. Today his name can open doors for me. In those days, it wasn’t so because he was unpopular then. People didn’t want their children to be friendly with us. I remember being introduced to one girl as Fela’s child and the girl warned the person who made the introduction never to introduce her to people like me. She said it to my hearing. I felt so bad and ashamed and didn’t say anything because I was very quiet and shy. But it’s not so today. She wouldn’t have dared it. At another time, when Fela was in America, Nigerians began to spread this bad rumour that Fela was in jail in America for rape. The pain that we endured in school was second to none. We were taunted and insulted by fellow pupils in school. I was only eight years-old at that time. Of course, we knew it wasn’t true and we had major fist fights with people. At another time, I went on a date from work with a guy to a Chinese restaurant. After the dinner, we both went to his house and after about an hour, he put in me in a taxi to take me home. That night, armed robbers went to the guy’s house and when the police questioned him on who he had been within the last 24 hours, he mentioned my name as one of the people. I was in my office the next morning when he walked in with two other guys to arrest me for armed robbery. It was like a dream. Luckily, I was allowed to call my mum. I was taken to Panti Police Station for something I knew nothing about. I was pressured to write a statement about the robbery. I didn’t even know armed robbers visited him. So how could I have written what I knew nothing about? I was there from 9am to 5pm. I lost weight within those hours. My mum came, but there was nothing she could do. My boss at work came, but he couldn’t get me out of jail. One of my uncles came, he couldn’t get me out of jail. My father’s name couldn’t get me out of jail. My father didn’t come because he was unpopular with the authorities. Instead, he sent my brother and then held a press conference detailing how his daughter was arrested to victimise him. Luckily, I had an Hausa boyfriend I was seeing at that time, even though I went on a date. My mum called him and that was how I got out of jail that day. The DPO who was also Hausa, said he didn’t know I had a responsible boyfriend like Nasiru, that I should have voiced it out and I wouldn’t have been detained. The point I am trying to make is that I was arrested because I was Fela’s daughter, not because I was an armed robber or had ties to an armed robbery gang.
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