Femi Kuti has opened up about his childhood with his father, the late Afrobeat icon Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, describing it as a journey of self-learning without guidance or traditional parenting.
Speaking at the Ake Arts and Books Festival in Lagos, Femi said his upbringing was far from normal. There were no formal lessons in their home, yet Fela expected him to figure things out on his own.
According to him, his father demanded excellence and believed no one around him had an excuse not to know what they needed to know. This meant Femi relied entirely on observation—watching how Fela handled life, danger, raids, pressure, and survival.
He said those real-life experiences became his education. He often questioned his father about fear and death, and the answers shaped his worldview far more than any classroom could.
Femi added that school failure never provoked anger from Fela. Instead, his father responded in a confusing, almost sarcastic way that left him unsure of what was truly expected of him.
These experiences, he said, pushed him to carve his own identity. He eventually left Fela’s band to pursue his personal musical path, believing he was meant to be himself—not a replica of the Afrobeat legend.
He recalled how Fela dismissed his first album, but he remained determined to develop his own sound and career.
Femi said:
“He expected me to know how to read. How is it possible to know how to read if I am not taught? If I haven’t had any formal education, how can I read? But I had to read. ‘You should know,’ he would say. ‘Did you take your brain and put it in my head?’
“If you are Fela’s person, you had to excel. You couldn’t give excuses. I learnt by watching him. I would ask questions like, ‘Are you not afraid to die?’ and he would answer.
“But if I failed… Fela would say, ‘Ah you failed, well done.’
“If God wanted me to be Fela, I would have been Fela. I had to be Femi Kuti.”
