I was looked down on while dancing for Femi – Yeni Kuti

Yeni Kuti, who is a dancer and daughter of the iconic musician, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, has said she is happy dancers are now respected. She told Sunday Scoop, “I am very proud of where dancers have reached today. Back then, when you said you were a dancer, people looked down on you. But today, we have collectively worked to show that dancers deserve their place in society. I am really proud of where dancers are today.”

Contrary to what some people think, Yeni also stated that she never danced for her father. “I was never a member of Fela’s band. I was a foundation member of Femi’s band. I still choreograph and train the dancers. One of the most important lessons I’ve learnt is that hard work pays,” she said.

Known to be very energetic, Yeni however said age had slowed her down. She stated, “I am glad that people think I’m energetic, though I have slowed down considerably. With age comes aches and pains in different places. However, I wouldn’t trade my age for anything. Age is accompanied by experience, knowledge and the joy of being alive.”

The trained journalist also said she wasn’t bothered about the misconceptions that people had about her. She stated, “I don’t dwell on negativity. If anyone has a misconception about me, I don’t really care; so, I wouldn’t know. If a person wants to think about me negatively, that is the person’s cross. As for me, I am living my life.  If you want to live your life through me by thinking negatively, it’s good for me because it helps me grow.” Punch