NIGERIA/FILE: Son of legendary afrobeat pioneer, Fela Kuti talks about upholding his father's legacy as an activist through music and his role during the recent Occupy Nigeria protests

Record ID: 235563

  • Title: NIGERIA/FILE: Son of legendary afrobeat pioneer, Fela Kuti talks about upholding his father's legacy as an activist through music and his role during the recent Occupy Nigeria protests
  • Date: 30th January 2012
  • Summary: LAGOS, NIGERIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) SEUN KUTI NIGERIAN MUSICIAN SAYING "I feel it's not even a responsibility, I just feel it's a civic duty of every African especially Africans to try and practice their rights, practice it because they won't give it to us, we have to take it you know, so that is what it is. For me, even if I wasn't Fela's child and I understand what I understand about the world today, I think I would still do what I'm doing right now." VARIOUS OF OCCUPY NIGERIA PROTESTS IN LAGOS SEUN KUTI SPEAKING AT THE OCCUPY NIGERIA PROTEST IN LAGOS (SOUNDBITE) (English) SEUN KUTI, NIGERIAN MUSICIAN SAYING "The thing about the Nigerian democracy is it changes, our enemies are not one so we cannot put a face to it. They come in hoards, they rob us in hoards and they leave and replace themselves with their friends, even though they are still in the background, it's a new set of people every time, doing the same old thing for the same set of people, just interchanging. So we cannot put a face like Mubarak is the enemy of Egypt, Ben Ali in Tunisia, Gaddafi, in Nigeria, there are names, taking out one person does not change anything." MORE OF OCCUPY NIGERIA PROTESTS / PEOPLE BURNING PAPER (SOUNDBITE) (English) SEUN KUTI, NIGERIAN MUSICIAN SAYING: "Change is now, the change is the fact that we are all interested, we want to get organized. Revolution is 2015 where we will use our democratic power to put the kind of government that we want in place and we will not fall for people that want tell us that they want to build highways to the moon, that they want to build a sea-port in jupiter, to transport resources to the sun."
  • Embargoed: 14th February 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Nigeria
  • Country: Nigeria
  • Topics: Crime,Entertainment,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVACLT1L4FY0LMRU987MLIH5M8Y0
  • Story Text: Sean Kuti, son of the legendary afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, has called on Nigerians to start a revolution in their country.
    Taking after his father in more ways than one, the young Kuti who started making music aged nine, is rapidly making a name for himself as an activist for change in Nigeria, calling for an end to government corruption and for ordinary citizens to stand up and fight for their rights.
    Most recently he became the forefront of the Occupy Nigeria movement against the removal of oil subsidies in West Africa's biggest economy.
    Like Fela, who made a name for himself using music to highlight injustices in his country, Sean's political activism has become an integral part of his music.
    But while he recognises the similarities with his father, Sean says his committment to rights is less about family loyalty and more about standing up for what he believes in.
    "I feel it's not even a responsibility, I just feel it's a civic duty of every African especially Africans to try and practice their rights, practice it because they won't give it to us, we have to take it you know, so that is what it is. For me, even if I wasn't Fela's child and I understand what I understand about the world today, I think I would still do what I'm doing right now," he told Reuters.
    Tens of thousands of Nigerians across the country took to the streets for 8 days to protest the removal of fuel subsidy on January 1 which more than doubled petrol prices to around 150 naira ($0.93) per litre.
    Trade unions suspended the strikes and protests on January 16 after President Goodluck Jonathan cut petrol prices back to 97 naira ($0.60) a litre.
    The nationwide fuel protests became an outlet for thousands to vent their grievances against what they see as a venal ruling political class and incompetent government, which is struggling to tackle an insurgency by the Boko Haram Islamist sect based in the largely Muslim north.
    Seun, along with older brother Femi Kuti led one of the biggest rallies in Lagos, gaining vocal support from adoring fans in the crowd.
    Corrupt leadership and abuse of power which have corroded Nigeria's politics since independence from Britain in 1960 are still present today, leading to angry popular clashes against these are fueling the latest violence and unrest in the country.
    "The thing about the Nigerian democracy is it changes, our enemies are not one so we cannot put a face to it. They come in hoards, they rob us in hoards and they leave and replace themselves with their friends, even though they are still in the background, it's a new set of people every time, doing the same old thing for the same set of people, just interchanging. So we cannot put a face like Mubarak is the enemy of Egypt, Ben Ali in Tunisia, Gaddafi, in Nigeria, there are names, taking out one person does not change anything," he said.
    Seun added that Nigeria should use the coming elections in 2015 to exercise their democratic rights.
    "Change is now, the change is the fact that we are all interested, we want to get organized, revolution is 2015 where we will use our democratic power to put the kind of government that we want in place and we will not fall for people that want tell us that they want to build highways to the moon, that they want to build a sea-port in jupiter, to transport resources to the sun."
    The recent volcano of public rage has erupted at the same time that a spate of bombings and shootings by a shadowy Islamist sect is threatening to fracture the country's sensitive north-south, Muslim-Christian divide.
    This religious faultline has caused sectarian conflict claiming thousands of lives in the past.
    Some are now asking whether this dynamic but troubled country of 160 million, carved by colonial rulers out of a jigsaw of ethnic and religious groups, can still hold together or risks plunging again into all-out conflict and even break-up.
    Many still remember the divisive 1967-1970 civil war over secessionist Biafra that killed over a million people and caused mass starvation, dislocation and suffering.
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