Why My Son, Made, Is Japaing NOWHERE! - Femi Kuti

Nigerian musician Femi Kuti who is the son of Afrobeats legend Fela Kuti, and a tour de force of his own and current manager of The Shrine in Lagos, is talking about why his son, Made Kuti, who is a British citizen still lives in Nigeria. By extension, he also explains why he has no intention of japaing out of Nigeria himself, despite some people advising him to. Here is what Femi Kuti had to say.

**Before reading on, please make sure to sign up for my newsletter below so you don't miss out on any new and interesting lists, articles, and stories that I post every single day. At the end of each week, I'll compile all the best stories from the week and send them right to your inbox, so you don't miss out on any of the hottest things that have happened throughout the week. Sign up now so you always get alerted!

Speaking about his reason for himself and Made staying put in Nigeria and not japaing, Femi Kuti said during an event at The Shrine:

FEMI KUTI: They say a man who doesn't know where he's coming from does not know where he is or where he is going. Somebody dey ask me say "you no go japa?" Japa to where? Let me tell you about Europe. You see Europe, what made Europe great? You think they ran away? They fought. Europe fought hundreds of civil wars. America, they had one of the most bitter civil wars in history, that is why till today, American man still dey carry gun. They don't joke. So until we understand that we all have to stay here and fight for a better country that we love. You see, we did not build The Shrine in Los Angeles, we did not build it in London. Where did we build it? In Africa! Where we're hosting the biggest festival for 27 years. Get your senses together because this country depends on you.

Made, my son, is a British citizen. Where is he? He's in Nigeria. He cannot be anywhere else. Who born am? Na monkey born am? Wetin him wan go do for there? Yes, if they call am for money, he play, he come back here. Who wan take over The Shrine? Me sef, I wan retire one day. So he better be doing the right thing with his life, and get himself together, as he is doing.

Don't take rubbish. Stop fucking with your lives. You are the youths, you are the backbone of this country. Without you, there is no country. Without Made, there is no future of The Shrine. This is African culture and tradition.

What do you think about what Femi Kuti had to say about why he and Made won't be japaing?

Thanks for diving into this story with me! Btw, every time you read, support, and share my work, it fuels my hunger to keep bringing you the latest news on your favorite Nigerian celebrities, movies, music and more. Your thoughts also matter to me, so please share them in the comments below, or on my Jide Okonjo Facebook post. Let's keep the conversation going and I can't wait to see your thoughts on this.

That's All.

I hope you’ve had fun. Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter if you don’t already for more stories like this - collated every week and sent right to your inbox so you don't miss out on anything.

To catch up on other content you might have missed, click here.

Until next time, have a wonderful rest of your day