Yeni Kuti says Macron’s visit would have pleased Fela

In a chat with Punch, Fela’s first daughter, Yeni Kuti, mentioned that Fela would have been pleased by Macron’s visit if he was alive.

She said: “Fela would have been very happy because while he was alive, he was happy that the government of France recognised him, his struggles and music. French people were the first Europeans to connect to Afrobeat, that is why there is a sustained relationship between the Kuti family and France.

“The president had been to the shrine when he was a very young man and he even made a comment that he never knew he would come back to the shrine as a president. He really had fun when he came and enjoyed Femi’s performance. However, he didn’t want to disrupt the flow of the shrine; he just wanted to enjoy his visit. But as a president, his arrival had to be guarded with strict protocols.

“I saw a lot of people there who had never been to the shrine before; many people were there for the first time in their life. I was even shocked.”