Nigerian singer and saxophonist, Seun Kuti says he was stigmatized during his childhood for being the son of late Afrobeats pioneer, Fela Anikulapo Kuti.
He disclosed this in an interview with actress Iyabo Ojo, saying that his paternity affected his life and relationship growing up as he couldn’t go to his girlfriend’s father’s house.
Kuti lamented that the experience was appalling because his dad who is now celebrated, didn’t do anything to warrant the stigmatization.
Kuti said; “Growing up, I was stigmatized for being Fela’s son. I couldn’t even enter my girlfriend’s father’s house. Even the street, people would always point at me and say, ‘See Fela pikin.’ It was annoying because my father didn’t do anything.
“Now, these killers, murderers, corrupt thieves that their actions are killing millions of Nigerians everyday, you are willing to be in party with them and hailing them. We need to check ourselves.”
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Seun recently claimed that the media deliberately misrepresents his personality just the same way his late father, Fela Kuti’s image was misconstrued.
The instrumentalist said during a chat that the media projected his father’s image in a bad light when he was alive.
Seun said; “I think it’s deliberate on the part of the media to project me out. It’s the same way they projected my dad, and people thought he wore pants all the time to perform. They kept showing him at one rehearsal at home, where he wore pants. But that was part of a documentary. People thought that was the truth, and they felt Fela was crazzy.
“For example, I didn’t start smoking until I was 21 years old. I was in Liverpool, and that was when I knew that peer pressure is the biggest influence in the life of a growing human being.”
