Yeni Kuti Speaks About Daughter & Women In Power

Late Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s daughter, Yeni Kuti has told Tribune Newspaper why she has prayed to God several times to stay alive, and the only one thing she will never take from a man- laziness. According to her, she can tolerate a man who cheats, but a lazy man can never be tolerated. Continue below...

How has life been as a single mom?

You know it’s a different feeling altogether. I was travelling in a plane, and the plane began malfunctioning. My first thought as a woman was ‘who will take care of my daughter if anything should happen to me?’ I was praying to my Creator to preserve my life because of her.

I used to smoke, but when my daughter gained admission into the university, I told myself, ‘you might die before this girl graduates, who will pay her tuition?’ That was the only motivation I needed to stop because I knew that I must see her through university. And when she graduated, I did not see the need to continue smoking.

So what could cause misunderstanding between yourself and your man?

I hate lazy men a lot. But the African society has put women at the receiving end one too many times. For instance, if a woman doesn’t give birth, all eyes will be on her, while no one will even point a finger at the man, and it might be the man who is sterile, while the woman is very fertile. I think we women need to fight for our rights more.

There are lots of women leaders who are in the Senate, House of Representatives, but they are just jollofing and not fighting for women’s rights. I still remember when I was refused the opportunity of buying a gun, I wasn’t happy when they said women couldn’t buy guns. I began to ask myself; what are women in government doing? If I was at the House of Representatives, women’s rights would be my main focus.

When a man is corrupt, I can understand it, but when a woman is corrupt, I cannot tolerate it because we are the mothers, we are the ones to set the pace. I believe women are the higher being. The man brings home the money, but we are the one to bring up the children. But when the man doesn’t bring home the “backery” he is a useless and lazy man. He should be made to go and work.

I’m not saying women shouldn’t work, but it should be a matter of choice, that is if she can cope with asking her husband for everything she wants to buy. Then it is her choice.