Made Kuti, grandson of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, says the late Afrobeat legend died poor despite earning vast sums of money during his lifetime.
Speaking on a recent episode of the Tea With Tay podcast, Made described Fela as a highly generous person who often gave away money to anyone in need, including strangers.
According to Made, his grandfather operated an “open house policy” where anyone could walk freely in or out of his residence, Kalakuta Republic.
“He Fela was broke. Fela died poor. Fela was the kind of person who, when he made a bunch of cash, had the kind of money that could have bought the whole street,” he said.
“But he would return from a show in Kalakuta, open a box of money and say anybody who needs it should take it. Anybody from the street could walk into Fela’s house.
“It was an open house policy, anybody could walk in and walk out at any time. His children were not allowed to call him dad or father because he didn’t want any special treatment for them. After all, everybody was equal in Kalakuta.”
Made, who is the son of Femi Kuti, is also a songwriter and instrumentalist.
Fela, a cultural icon widely regarded as the father of Afrobeat, passed away on August 2, 1997.
After early experiences abroad, Kuti and Africa 70, his band, shot to stardom in Nigeria during the 1970s.
In 1970, he founded the Kalakuta Republic commune, which declared itself independent from military rule.
The commune was destroyed in a 1978 raid. Fela was jailed by the federal government of Muhammadu Buhari in 1984.
After his release, he continued to record and perform through the 1980s and 1990s.
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