Fela named me Afolabi – Made Kuti

Made Kuti, son of Afrobeat singer Femi Anikulapo-Kuti has said his grandfather Fela Anikulapo-Kuti gave him the name Afolabi.

The 25-year-old disclosed this in an Interview with Punch on Saturday.

He said Fela was sick when he was born and managed to attend his christening.

“I was about two and a half years old when Fela passed on, so I don’t have any memories of him. However, I was told many stories about him.

“I was then taken to him in the taxi and he gave me the name, ‘Afolabi’,” he wrote.

Made when asked about the important lesson he has learnt from his dad said Integrity and honesty.

“What I value the most is integrity. The integrity to know that the music (business) might not produce the kind of finance and lavish lifestyle one wants, yet still see it through.

“Honesty is also very important because we don’t like to lie. We believe it is one of the greatest obstacles anyone faces,” he said.

Made is a product of Femi’s relationship with Funke. In December 2018, he graduated from London’s Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, the same institution attended by his grandfather Fela Anikulapo-Kuti in the 1960s.

He plays the saxophone, guitar and drum set fairly well.