Media personality and daughter of the late Afrobeat pioneer, Yeni Kuti, has opened up about the surprising and humble beginnings of her father, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, in the world of music education.
In a recent episode of the TVC programme Your View, Yeni shared a deeply personal family story that sheds new light on the early struggles of the legendary musician, revealing that Fela’s admission into the prestigious Trinity College of Music in London in 1958 was not based on merit, but on compassion.
According to her, Fela faced significant academic challenges compared to his siblings, a fact that made his parents hesitant to send him abroad for further studies. While his younger brother excelled in school, Fela remained average, drawing concern from their academic-minded parents.
“When he was in secondary school, you know his parents were academics, so they were pressuring him to study hard. His older brother and sister had gone to university overseas,” Yeni recounted.
“It was him and his younger brother who were with their parents at that time. His younger brother had excellent grades, but Fela was very average. So, his parents didn’t want him to go abroad for studies.”
However, Fela’s older siblings, eager to have him join them in London, devised a clever plan. They falsely assured their parents that Fela had secured admission into a medical school overseas. In reality, Fela had no such placement.
“But his brother wanted him to stay with him in London, so they lied to their parents that Fela was going to a medical school. That was how he got to England,” Yeni revealed.
Once in the UK, it became clear that his grades would not earn him a spot in most academic institutions. Still, with a budding interest in music and some skill on the piano, Fela was taken to Trinity College of Music.
“They enrolled him in musical school because by time Fela was playing the piano. When he got to the music school, the admission officer said, ‘It’s only because you’ve come a long distance that I’m going to allow you into this school with these results.’ That was how Fela even got the music school out of pity,” Yeni said.
While his entry may have been unconventional, Fela’s journey from that point on was extraordinary. Despite being admitted out of pity, he would go on to redefine African music, creating the globally celebrated genre of Afrobeats and inspiring generations of musicians and activists alike.
Yeni concluded the story with pride, “But look at it today, he is a legend.”
