Femi hopes, however, that his children and Fela’s other grandchildren will uphold this standard and continue to protect the legend’s legacy.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Nigerian singer and instrumentalist Femi Kuti has revealed the reason behind his family’s refusal to sell the catalogue of his late father and Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, despite numerous offers.
The Grammy-nominated singer explained the family’s decision while appearing as a guest on a Channels TV programme.
According to him, they snubbed the opportunity to monetise the catalogue in order to preserve the Afrobeat legend’s legacy.
He added that his elder sister, Yeni Kuti, was particularly opposed to the sale, stressing that she is extremely protective of their father’s legacy.
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He did, however, note that the family has licenced Fela’s music to a foreign company for a fixed term.
Femi explained: “We never sold Fela’s catalogue. It is under Fela’s estate, controlled by the family. But we licenced the music. So, we control it. I don’t know how many years we have left, but when it is done, we will take it over and licence it again.”
He added: “My elder sister, Yeni Kuti, strongly opposed selling Fela’s catalogue. She is like the caretaker, and we give her the honour as the eldest among us. It doesn’t mean that the rest of us don’t have a say, of course.
“But she is very protective of Fela’s legacy, so she insisted we don’t sell it. I saw her point of view immediately and we all agreed. If we had sold it, no royalties would be coming to the family.”
Femi hopes his children and Fela’s other grandchildren will uphold this standard and continue to protect the legend’s legacy.
