- Yeni Kuti revealed that her late father, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, was admitted to the Trinity College of Music in London in 1958 out of pity.
- Fela struggled academically among his siblings, leading his parents to want him to stay in Nigeria. His London siblings deceived them into believing they secured his medicine admission.
Yeni Kuti, media personality and daughter of the legendary Afrobeats pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, has revealed the challenges her late father faced in securing admission to Trinity College of Music in London in 1958.
According to Yeni, Fela struggled academically more than his siblings, which initially made their parents hesitant to send him abroad for further studies. His older siblings, who were already in London, reportedly misled their parents into believing they had arranged for Fela to study medicine.
Upon arriving in London, Fela was nearly denied admission to Trinity College of Music due to his poor academic qualifications. However, the admission officer took pity on him, recognizing the effort and commitment it took for him to travel overseas to pursue his education.
Yeni’s revelation sheds light on the humble beginnings of a man who would later become a global music icon.
Speaking in a recent episode of the TVC programme, Your View, Kuti said, “I want to share a story about my father [Fela].
“When he was in secondary school, you know his parents were academics, so they were pressuring him to study hard. His older brother and sister had gone to university overseas.
“It was him and his younger brother who were with their parents at that time. His younger brother had excellent grades, but Fela was very average. So, his parents didn’t want him to go abroad for studies.
“But his brother wanted him to stay with him in London, so they lied to their parents that Fela was going to a medical school. That was how he got to England.
“They enrolled him in musical school because by time Fela was playing the piano. When he got to the music school, the admission officer said, ‘It’s only because you’ve come a long distance that I’m going to allow you into this school with these results.’ That was how Fela even got the music school out of pity. But look at it today, he is a legend.”
