Yeni also asserted that women are now more independent and marry for the right reasons unlike in the past when they tie the knot because of societal pressure
By Kehinde Okeowo
Yeni Kuti, dancer, singer and daughter of afrobeat legend, Fela Anikukapo-Kuti, has said she and her siblings were judged by their father’s personality and character while growing up.
The 61-year- old also argued that even as an adult, she didn’t gain an edge over her peers for being his daughter, asserting that his father was strict.
Yeni made the assertions in a recent interview with PUNCH, where she also discussed other issues ranging from marriage to her vision for Nigeria.
ALSO READ: VIDEO: Onyeka Onwenu speaks on Fela’s ‘marriage proposal,’ alleged secret marriage to Obasanjo
According to the dancer, she felt rather than being envied as Fela’s kids, people looked down on them in their formative stages.
She said, “I did not enjoy any benefits because back then, people used to look down on us because we were Fela’s children.”
She went on to say as they grew up, they sometimes needed their mothers’ intervention to get things from their father because he was a little strict.
She added, “My father felt sorry for me when I was over 30 years old and bought my sister and I a television. However, I could afford to buy myself a TV then because I was already working.
“My father did not spoil children. The best treatment we had then as children were chopper bikes and before we got them, my mum had to speak for us.”
Yeni also said she is glad that women are now better emancipated and now marry for the right reasons rather than bow to societal pressure like they used to do in the past.
“I think women have become more independent and now know who they are. They now know that they don’t have to be married to ‘be somebody’ (fulfilled or complete). They now know that they are a person in their own right. For me, it is a good thing. Women are now getting married because they want to, not just because they want to be addressed as somebody’s wife.” Yeni asserted.
On her dream for Nigeria and the kind of leadership she wishes to see at the helm of affairs in the country. she said, “I desire a leader who has the genuine interest of Nigeria at heart. I do not want a leader that is self-centered but one who considers the people all the time.”