By ‘Dayo Showemimo
Seun Kuti, son of late Afrobeat king, Fela, recently returned to the country from a 6-month tour that took him to countries like Canada, Trinidad, Cannery Island, Algeria and so many other countries.
But while he remains busy on the road, Seun is, however, not happy because he hardly get shows in Nigeria and in a recent interview with Punch, he expressed his views on this when asked why he doesn’t perform as such in Nigeria.
‘I don’t know. I come back here to rest because I don’t get jobs here. I don’t understand it as well. At times, I am saddened by it because it is just a shame. It is not even about me but the band which has the pedigree of being a big band. But just for political reasons, we are being excluded. I believe afro beat should be in high demand in Nigeria, Fela did a lot for Nigerians. I watch the shows here and it is not as if they are better than what I do.’
Seun Kuti, known for his controversial lyrics and hugely political opinions, feels that’s probably why he doesn’t get shows in Nigeria.
‘In America, political artistes hardly get shows. The entertainment industry is highly corporate these days. Artistes are no longer artistes, they are businessmen. You hear them calling themselves ‘brands’ and such names. Most of them that are famous no longer have the artistic spirit. The spirit is feared in corporate world. The real artiste cannot be dictated to. They want people they can tell how to dress and what to sing. Artistes who play political music are totally ignored these days. It is not only in Nigeria. It is normal that Nigerian establishments fight back against me. But why I am not happy about this is just because of The Shrine. Even if people think my brother and I are not making good music, I think Fela has done enough for this country for people to support the Shrine. But they give stupid reasons that the Shrine is dangerous.’
