Singer Yemi Alade has posted photos of herself with Afro beat singer Femi Kuti and his sister Yeni Kuti at the Paris exhibition where their father, the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, was honoured.
The Paris Philharmonic paid homage to Fela Kuti at the exhibition on Thursday last week by recreating the atmosphere of his politically-charged nightclub in Nigeria, ‘The Shrine’, which became a beacon for global stars in the 1970s including Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney.
Yemi posted the pictures on Instagram on Monday, describing Fela as an icon.
“Fella was an icon down to his panties. Love your life, the world will adjust. A few days ago at the #felamuseum in Paris with living legends and the custodians of the Afrobeat roots and culture Yeni Kuti and Femi Kuti,” Yemi Alade captioned the photos.
Speaking at the event, Femi Kuti talked about his father’s courageous act of using his “music as a weapon”.
The 60-year-old said Fela was brave enough to use his music as a weapon to fight corruption in Nigeria.
He said, “Instead of picking up a gun, music was the only tool he had. It was a weapon to use against authority, against colonisation and corrupt African governments.
“I’m not surprised. Great people like Miles Davis already talked about Fela. Afrobeat was the basic element of hip-hop, it’s where hip-hop got its sauce from.”
