Grammy-nominated Afrobeat star Femi Kuti recently opened up about some of the biggest adversaries his family has faced and surprisingly, they come from within their own ethnic group, the Yoruba.
Speaking at the 2024 Felaberation Festival in Lagos, Femi didn’t hold back as he named former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the late business mogul MKO Abiola as key figures who opposed the Kuti family.
He emphasized that despite being Yoruba themselves, the Kuti family rejects tribalism, having been raised with a strong sense of pan-Africanism.
“Brothers and sisters, something very important is happening in our lives ethnic problems, or what you call tribalism. But please, don’t involve the Anikulapos in your foolishness,” Femi said passionately.
He went on to explain that the Kuti family grew up learning from revolutionary African leaders and thinkers such as Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Marcus Garvey, Patrice Lumumba, and their own matriarch, Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, as well as the legendary Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.
“Pan-Africanism was a way of life for us,” Femi continued. “So I didn’t grow up being biased. I’ve met amazing people from all walks of life both African and European. But I’ve also met some who are not so great. I judge people by their character, not their ethnicity.”
He then dropped the bombshell: “One of the Kuti family’s greatest enemies, as you know, are Yoruba people like Obasanjo and Abiola. But in our family, we don’t do tribalism.”
