In the Shape of His Father

Phillipe Bordas

Femi Kuti represents the next generation of Afro-beat

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• Lagos
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"Africa has done absolutely nothing to get itself heard," he asserts. "Let's talk about AIDS. We have known about it for at least fifteen years, but African leaders have done nothing to let its people know about the disease until recently, and at this point in time it is too late. And it is the same about other African information, which is why I blame the African governments for everything that is wrong with Africa today. How can I blame the foreigners for buying my people cheap when it is the African governments that are selling them cheap?"

In contrast to the despots he so despises, Femi wants to spread what he calls "authentic news" about Africa to the rest of the world. And he's so dedicated to doing so, he's agreed to headline a sizable number of U.S. dates despite a fear of flying ("My life is not guaranteed when I am in a plane, and as an African, I do not like it when my life is not guaranteed"). But he doesn't want anyone to come to see him assuming that he's the reincarnation of Fela. "I am just going to do my best," he says. "There is a limit to what a man can do, and I do not think that I am a god or a superhuman. I just feel things are wrong, and if I have the opportunity to rectify some of these wrongs, I am going to try. Whether I will achieve that, I do not know, but as long as I am alive and strong, I will do that."