In an interview with Chude Jideonwo, media personality Yeni Kuti revealed her thoughts on the parenting skills of her late father, the iconic Afrobeats superstar Fela Kuti. Yeni acknowledged that while her father was a role model and icon, he fell short as a parent.
"Fela was not quite a good father," Yeni said, "No [I never told him that he isn't a good father]. Maybe Femi, not me." She explained that Fela and Femi always had battles, while she and her sister Shola were too timid to confront him.
Yeni recounted a specific instance when Fela called all three of his children "useless", prompting Femi to confront him. Yeni explained that she never had that kind of confrontation with her father, "maybe because I was a woman."
Despite Fela's shortcomings as a father, Yeni emphasized his influence and impact on Nigerian and African music. "Fela was an icon, he was a role model, and people looked up to him," she said. "That's one thing that I admire about him."
Yeni's comments on Fela's parenting have sparked discussions on social media, with some applauding her for speaking up about a taboo topic, while others feel that it's not fair to judge Fela's parenting through a contemporary lens.
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