Kaffy: If dancers want respect, they need to wake up

The debate about giving dancers their due respect has been raging in the Nigerian entertainment scene for some time and Kafayat Shafau-Ameh has been at the forefront of the conversation.

Speaking recently on the issue, Kaffy, as she’s popularly known, urged dancers to do more than just wait to be paid for gigs if they really want to be respected for their craft.

The leading Nigerian dancer also said she commands respect from key players in the entertainment industry because of the contribution she has made over a period of time.

“The amount of respect I’m getting is a cumulation of my tenacity towards what I’m doing, sacrifices that I have made, contributions towards people’s craft, towards artistes’ lives and contribution in production… for a long time,” Kaffy said in a chat with HIP TV.

“So, for me, the respect that I am getting is earned from what you have put in. If dancers want respect, they need to wake up, rise up and live above waiting for someone to pay them. If you want to be respected as someone that owns a craft, you want you craft to be needed.

“How it is in demand is up to you. You are not going to force dance on anybody’s throat but you can make dance palatable enough for everyone to want it.

“And I think we’ve gotten to that level where it [dance] is needed but how you sustain it and get respect from it, is totally your call.”

Last year, Kaffy ignited a dance industry controversy by criticising Davido and other Nigerian artistes for disrespecting dancers.

Some of the dancers, however, described her rage as hypocritical saying she also treats them as bad as the musicians.

In response, Kaffy wrote an emotional note in which she called her critics a “bunch of ingrates”.