Afrobeats legend, Femi Kuti in an interview with Chude Jideonwo, lifted the lid on the lowest point in his life.
In a recent #WithChude episode, Femi cited the attacks on his father, Fela by the Nigerian Army, and struggles in school due to being Fela’s son as some of the low points he has experienced.
“I have had many low points. The beatings of my father started when I was a teenager. So, schooling was a very depressing time for me because there were teachers that liked my father and teachers that didn’t like him. So, if I got into trouble with a teacher that didn’t like him, that teacher would beat me because they didn’t like my father.
“Then there were the rich children in the same school, and they didn’t like me because I was Fela’s son. So, I was fighting for most of my time in school,” Femi said.
But according to the 60-year-old, the passing of his mother, Remilekun Taylor Anikulapo Kuti in 2002 was the worst time for him.
“I’ve also experienced death. The passing of my mother was probably the worst time because my mother was like my pillar, and when she died, I was lost. Till about 3/4 years ago I would still wake up wanting to go and say good morning to her. Because every morning the first person I wanted to see was my mother.
“I didn’t cry because everyone was saying, ‘you’re the man’, ‘you must hold on’! Fela had just gone, my sister had gone, my cousin had gone. Some people predicted that 12 of us will die, and I was thinking, is this prediction going to come through?
“Then we had our internal family problems, my wife went, and then they said, ‘Femi is going mad’. But I am thankful that I overcame it, I think it is what has made me a better person,” he added.
