Kunle Kuti, son of the late Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, has accused the Nigerian government of undermining his father’s legacy by removing his history from school curricula. Speaking in a recent episode of Our Two Kobo, Kunle also shared his admiration for international superstar Wizkid, describing him as “the only artiste that I beg to see in my life.”
The Kalakuta Museum custodian and trustee of Fela’s estate spoke on a range of topics, including the online clash between his brother Seun Kuti and Wizkid’s fanbase, the ongoing Afrobeat versus Afrobeats debate, and the importance of preserving his family’s cultural and musical contributions.
“You see, the king and creator of Afrobeat studied music. He went to school. I personally love Afrobeats. Yes, I love it. Because I did a course on electronic music, too. So, I fell in love with Afrobeats. If you look at it, it is like a break from Afrobeat, too. But you cannot compare. I am not happy. I am heartbroken. Because, personally, I love this thing,” Kunle said.
On defending Fela, Kunle stated, “As I said, the problem is the government. Either way, if they do not remove history from the school curriculum, people will teach history about Fela. It is not even about Fela; it is about Fela’s mother. Kuti is a big family in Nigeria.” He explained that many Nigerians do not fully understand the significance of his family: “Most people do not know that my grandmother was one of the people who went to negotiate for Nigeria’s independence. She was there. You understand? And what Fela stood for? Fela put Nigeria on the map. Musically, culturally, politically, however you want. He put Nigeria on the map.”
Kunle also expressed his personal admiration for Wizkid, saying, “Wizkid is the only artiste that I beg to see in my life. To be honest. I am telling you because we are close, right? I want to meet this guy. Show him how much I love him.”
Discussing Fela’s estate, Kunle highlighted its evolving nature: “Life is not a one time value. You know, it depends on how you want to market it. You know, you can do music. You can do movies. You can do fashion. He started in fashion. He was a fashion icon. He created his own style. His estate keeps evolving. Ideas keep coming every time.”
Reflecting on his childhood at Kalakuta, Kunle recalled the traumatic experiences with the military: “I was in primary school then. And, I just saw my mum. She was not together. I have never seen her. She just grabbed me. She ran into me. Just grabbed me during school. There was a lot of crowd. So, we managed to get close to Ojuelegba. Kalakuta was an empire. So, we could not get close to where they were. We didn’t make it there because of the aftermath of Kalakuta. My question is, how would you send a thousand soldiers to kill one person? I believe we just wanted to silence him by any means. Because of his minor traffic offence. My grandmother died from complications from her injuries.”
On Fela’s political ambitions, he said, “He sought to run for President. He tried to register his party, MOP. But, actually, it was after he had his convention. They saw the crowd there. They never allowed him to start it. It never made it to the ballot. They would not allow him. MOP is still alive today.”
Discussing lessons from his father, Kunle added, “I will not fight the government. I will not marry many wives as he did.”
Kunle also revealed plans for the Kalakuta Museum: “I am working to make it a self explanatory museum. Where you don’t need to come there, we do something with Google Arts and Culture.”
Even in discussing Fela’s activism, Kunle said, “Even everything he did was right for me, from my own view. Because everything was for the sake of humanity, for the betterment of us as human beings in this country, we need to challenge the authority. And if I could challenge, that is one thing he did, to be honest.”
On his own son’s musical future, Kunle shared, “He has just graduated. Yes, he just did last year. He studied music, production and performances. We are fighting. I want him to go and do a Master’s. I am on his case. He is 21 now. So he is going to need that Master’s. So, what I am planning after his master’s is that I want to create something because I have an idea. I want to push him so we can sell it to people and work around it. The Afrobeats they are doing now is fusion. I am rooting for him. We are looking forward to that.”
As Kunle Kuti continues to safeguard Fela’s legacy through the Kalakuta Museum and public advocacy, he remains committed to educating younger generations about the family’s impact on Nigeria’s history and culture, while also celebrating contemporary artists like Wizkid who inspire him personally.
Ademide Adebayo
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