Fatimah Otunsanya
Afrobeat musician, Femi Kuti has explained why his family didn’t sell their father, the late Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s catalogue despite numerous offers.
In a recent interview with Channels TV, the Grammy-nominated singer disclosed that the major reason was to preserve the Afrobeat legend’s legacy.
He emphasised that his elder sister, Yeni Kuti, particularly opposed the selling of Fela’s catalogue, stressing that she is extremely protective of the Afrobeat pioneer’s legacy.
He, however, noted that the family licensed Fela’s music to a foreign company for a period of time.
“We never sold Fela’s catalogue. It is under Fela’s estate controlled by the family. But we licensed the music.
“So, we control it. I don’t know how many years we have left but when it is done, we will take it over and licensed it again,” Kuti explained.
“My elder sister, Yeni Kuti, strongly opposed selling Fela’s catalogue. She is like the caretaker. And we give her the honour as the eldest among us. It doesn’t mean that the rest of us don’t have say, of course.
“But she is very protective of Fela’s legacy so she insisted we don’t sell it. I saw her view immediately and we all agreed. If we had sold it, no royalty would be coming to the family,” he added.
The music incon said he hopes that their children would follow the standard and protect Fela’s legacy in the future.
