Nigerian celebrity dancer, Kafayat Shafau, popularly known as Kaffy, has revealed that she receives more love and support from men than women.
Kaffy made this known in an interview with Saturday Beats, where she also revealed that she lost some close friends due to the fact that she’s dancer.
The Guinness World Record holder said when she went into fulltime dancing it was not a mainstream career, neither was it commercially viable and the main sacrifice was “breaking into that door that did not exist.”
Kaffy said; “I have got more admiration and support from men, than women. It came after a bit of resistance, which is normal, because there will always be some of resistance when one newly gets into a field.”
“Taking on a career without any gender focus is already tough. As a dancer, the only place we were appreciated was when we were displaying for the National Troupe, or when were called by a governor for a national assignment. Dancing was not a mainstream career, neither was it commercially viable.
“Breaking into that door that did not exist was the main sacrifice for me, as well as the pain of losing family friends and people around me. I was practically isolated. There even some people who initially supported me, but withdraw their support because they did not see what I was seeing.”
The professional choreographer also decried the way women in the entertainment industry were often viewed as sexual objects.
“As a woman, one is often asked what value one brings to the table to be considered with one’s male peers. I struggled a lot with that, because while expressing myself, I had to deal with music directors, editors and different stakeholders who felt one’s opinion was not necessary.
But one of the things that helped me was the fact that I am highly educated and intellectual enough to express my ideas and implement them in ways that earned me respect. I was also hands on with whatever I said,” she said.
