Singer Made Kuti has responded to an ethnic slur from an online troll directed at him and his wife with a message of unity.
The 29-year-old on Friday shared a screenshot of the post on Instagram.
The troll wrote: “The face of another fooolish Yoruba man who married a useless osu Ibo woman. It will never be well for those of you who are mixing Ibo blood with Yoruba blood 🩸.”
Reacting, Made said:
“When I saw this post, it didn’t make me angry, I just felt pity for this person.
“Every one of our great African leaders believed in the importance of African unity because they had faith in the potential of our people to rise intellectually above the structures and limits set by colonial regimes and miseducation.
“They hoped that we would preserve our culture and traditions and treat each other with love and respect, creating a continent that would support our children with love and joy. This way, they would grow up in a unified continent with collective management of resources, free travel without visa restrictions, shared culture, shared knowledge, and collective growth.
“Running backwards and believing ethnic superiority/inferiority is justifiable is slave mentality. It means you haven’t fully freed yourself from your nearly 500 years old chains. It means you’re still a victim.
“The healthiest way to free your mind is to read. Enlighten yourself with history and knowledge left by leaders like Nkrumah, Lumumba, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Fela Kuti and Sankara.
“Free Your Mind ❤️ I thought to leave this here for posterity because I’ve been seeing posts like this (from both sides) for some time now.”
Made, son of Afrobeat legend Femi Kuti and grandson of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, is known for using his music to address social issues.
In November 2023, the 28-year-old married his longtime partner Inedoye Onyenso in a civil ceremony in Lagos. The couple first met in high school, where he was her ‘school father’ and later reconnected before beginning their relationship.
Made released his debut album For(e)ward in 2021 alongside his father’s Stop the Hate under the joint project Legacy+, which was nominated for a Grammy.
