Seun Kuti, son of the late Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, has shared a striking childhood memory involving his parents and one of his father’s many periods in detention.
Speaking in a recent interview, the 45-year-old musician recounted how his late mother, Fehintola Kuti, once concealed cannabis inside a loaf of bread and unknowingly enlisted him to deliver it to his father.
According to Seun, the incident occurred when he was around eight or nine years old, during a time when Fela was being held at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Lagos.
The younger Kuti said he had no idea he was carrying contraband at the time.
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“We were going to visit my father in Panti, and my mum bought bread to give to him. She hid ‘Igbo’ inside the bread and asked me to hand it over when we got there,” Seun explained. “Bear in mind, I was about eight or nine years old. My parents were such gangsters, man! I didn’t even know what was going on.”
He added that he dutifully handed the bread to his father during the visit, unaware of its contents. It was only later, on their journey home, that his sister revealed the truth. “My mum had told her, but didn’t tell me because she knew I might have said something to the police,” he said.
The anecdote offers a glimpse into the unconventional and often politically charged environment in which Seun was raised. Fela Kuti, a prominent critic of Nigeria’s military regimes, was frequently detained by authorities during his lifetime, making prison visits a recurring part of his children’s upbringing.
Seun also reflected on the numerous detention facilities where he visited his father, including Ikoyi Prison, Kirikiri Prison, and Alagbon Close Police Station. These experiences, he suggested, were formative in shaping his understanding of authority, resistance, and his father’s enduring legacy.
Today, Seun Kuti continues to uphold the Afrobeat tradition, using music as a platform for social and political commentary, much like his father before him.
