Femi Kuti HARDtalk

hours. For more, go to our website. Now it is time for HARDtalk.

Nigeria is a giant on the African stage. In terms of prosperity, it's

never fulfil the expectations of its people. My guest today is a

musician and political activist, Femi Kuti, son of the late,

legendary Nigerian musician Fela Kuti. He is a constant thorn in the

side of the authorities and uses his songs to criticise government

and speak up on behalf of the poor and dispossessed. But with

fantastic rate of growth in Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa, it is Femi

Kuti being overly pessimistic about Nigeria's prospects? Femi Kuti,

welcome to HARDtalk. Thank you. have to ask you - as the son of

Fela Kuti, was it a blessing as well as a curse to be your father's

son? I would never see it as a curse. It's like I have to live up

to the heritage of his name so I know I have to work very hard, so

it's never been a curse, really. For it to be a curse, I think... I

didn't feel bad because he was my father. But as his eldest son, you

were, in a sense, his heir, musically as well as politically. I

mean, didn't you feel you were in his shadow a lot of the time?

don't feel a lot of pressure because everywhere I went people

were like "are you going to be like your father? When will you be like

your father?" that gave me a lot of pressure when I was a kid. It

scared me. It was such a very beady -- very big person in front of me I

never felt I could live up to this heritage so it scared me.

perform a similar style of Afrobeat music, like a father, which is a

blend of jazz, funk and African music. In 1987 you left your

father's band to create your own band. He was apparently so angry

with you he didn't speak to you for six years. This was in 1986 and he

didn't speak to me for six years. How did that make you feel? Straw

longer. Determined. -- stronger. I knew how to feel my pain, I knew

how to live my life. It was like it was producing a replica of himself

and I was living his life for him and I didn't feel comfortable. I

wanted to be my own man. Is that what you mean by you feeling

scared... No, this was different. As a kid, being scared - I knew he

was such - he was so strong and so popular and everybody would say

"when are you going to be like your father?" and I couldn't play at

this time, I couldn't find my life in this chaos. When I separated

from his band it was 1984 and I went to a different band. In two

years I had grown and I knew I would get married - I wanted kids

of my own and I knew I couldn't live under his roof, I wanted my

own life. He was quite a force, wasn't he? He married 27 of his

backers and singers. He was a really dynamic force in both

Nigeria, Africa and the international stage. He died in

1997 from an AIDS-related illness. My understanding is that you and

other members of the family didn't want this revealed. Why? No - we

didn't want it revealed the way it was revealed, because he was still

alive. And we felt if he was alive he had the opportunity to say "you

have no right". What if he didn't die? What if the drugs had worked?

It was wrong of the family to take it upon themselves to announce what

was wrong with him. We felt that when he was alive we should give

him the opportunity to reveal it himself. And when he died he spoke

openly about it? Yes. When he died it was out that duty to speak. But

if he was alive it was not out that duty to take his life into our

hands. A few months after he died you signed a major record deal.

This was my second major deal. second major deal, but one that a

lot of people focus on because they felt that, in a sense, after your

father died, it was a great tragedy for you. In any way - did it allow

you to become your own man, musically? No, I think I already

became my own man when I left his band. That decision did not please

many people who saw I was breaking away too far from Afrobeat. It

scared my older sister. "well, we will get into a lot of trouble".

And I said - look, this is where I want to go. Everybody was moving in

different directions. You had quite a few major successes, but let's

get a flavour of you, Femi Kuti. This is a track from your latest

album - Africa for Africa, released in 2011. I think is his you

(FUNKY AFROBEAT STYLE MUSIC). very vigorous performance. That

must be how you keep fit. You can clearly hear the African influence

in your music still. What do you think about new Nigerian musicians

who have a kind of more global, cultural approach - more American

hip-hop style. You think they are losing their African roots in some

way? No. I don't think so. It would be wrong for me to criticise any

young musician who is trying to find his way in life. How do you

criticise any form of art? In the global world we have today it is

appealing to more people globally. I like these musicians. I don't see

why I should be critical. People criticise me when I started to play

my own style of Afrobeat, everyone was against me. Then when I had

success, everyone said I was right. I don't want to criticise young

people who were trying to... Find their own way? This is his style.

If this is his style, we should appreciate it. But you have stuck

more to that Afrobeat tradition of your father? You have to remember

that Americans are related to Africa. They relate to Afrobeat.

They find their roots in America as well and Americans, a lot of them,

they find their roots - a lot of them were influenced by my father.

Would you say it is wrong for them to steal or take from Afrobeat?

will all vote influenced by your father not only musically but

politically -- you were also influenced. He spoke up against the

government, for instance. His mother, your grandmother, actually

died when soldiers and police stormed her house and she was

thrown out of a window. Yes. Your political activism is an important

part of your heritage? Yeah us, because this is a life I grew to

know. -- yes. I keep going back home to see this poverty and

corruption in Nigeria. You still talk about corruption in Nigeria.

Yes. It is so blatant - everybody talks about it. In the 1970s it was

only my father. In the 80s a lot of human rights activists came along,

my uncle, so many others. Now, in the 2000s, we have so many people

talking openly about their grief with the government. The accept

that the government is trying to do something about corruption? They

pretend to be doing something because they feel international

pressure on the corruption. They are only pretending? Yes. Yes, they

are pretending. Let me give you an example. You tell me why you think

they are pretending. Someone was jailed recently for 15 years, and

it took England to come and arrest him in Dubai and bring him to

justice. Well, some individual trials will be dealt with but last

year, President Goodluck Jonathan sacked the head of the country's

anti-Corruption Agency. In June he also sacked the MD of the National

oil... I am giving you these examples. Yes, let's go to one of

the latest examples. The President Goodluck Jonathan goes into office,

he has already served two years when he comes into power in January

1st this year, he takes away the petrol subsidy. It was at 47 lire

per litre. Now he wants Nigerians who can't afford to feed their

family to pay 147 Lee ruck per litre. He doesn't inform the

country of this or campaign. He knows, because he has been in the

government for two years, that he will remove the subsidy. Now he

does this.... You were involved in those protests in January this year

when the government decided to remove the fuel subsidies.

Overnight, the price of fuel doubled, didn't it? Yes. After your

protests, they partially restored the subsidy. The government is

trying to get serious about tackling corruption in the oil

sector and also elsewhere. It has been said that Eagles I think of

petrol costs are billion dollars per month -- it has been said that

illegal siphoning. They are at last getting to grips... Over 40 years

of corruption... The can't fix it overnight, can you? In skews --

excuse me the police can fix some things in hours, but when the poor

people commit crimes it is easy to put them on television and show

them. When young boys who have no jobs and can't feed their families,

when they commit crimes it is easy to put them on television. But you

know, look, the head of the IMF said, when she visited Nigeria, she

said she was impressed with the energy and pace that President

Goodluck Jonathan would like to transform the economy and focus on

agriculture. I hope she is impressed with the way young people

are losing their lives in Nigeria. The way the health system is

failing. The way the poor people cannot feed their families.

Education now is not available for the poor. Does she see that? Yes,

but you are asking for that. Let me just say that the removal of the

fuel subsidy, the government, they said the rationale was that it cost

$8 billion a year for the pure subsidy and it benefits the better

it off Nigerians - those who can afford to drive cars. They would

like 4 billion of that money to go into infrastructure and transport.

You are talking about all of these big figures that the poor people

don't even understand and we are all losing count of the amount of

money being lost in Nigeria. You see, I love with no electricity,

excuse me, you have to understand the poor people's plight. You need

to understand they can't afford good education, health, jobs. No

electricity, no food. They can't feed their families at all this

money - what she is saying there - she comes from a good home, she can

afford it. The acts not there to her,... Know, is it fair to the

poor people? What is the difference between the rich and the poor? This

oil we are making in Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians. Nobody

would question the fact that 87% of the oil profits in Nigeria have

benefited something like 1% of the population, but we have moved on to

fuel subsidies. Most of the money, we know, has been lost to

corruption and hasn't benefited the vast majority of people and that

the poor in Nigeria are getting poorer.... We have not finished one

case and we go to the other case - the poor are getting poorer and the

rich are getting richer. But then, quick, you keep saying... I am

asking about the fuel subsidies and I was saying that the government

says they wanted removed because they want to use the money for

infrastructure, for youth employment, for maternal healthcare.

Nigeria has one of the worst rates in Africa. Why did you campaign

Before he removed the subsidy he should have campaigned to Nigerians.

So it was the principal? You do not mind it, it was just not presented

properly? When you follow the story of corruption in Nigeria can you

see how they come into power and one to write-off the scandals. They

keep on... Your focus is on individuals and bring people to

justice. My focus is on the plight of the poor people. They cannot

afford health, good education for their children and families. They

have no electricity. I have lived in these conditions will my life. I

have seen the corruption and the authorities get away with stealing.

You have to accept that the government is trying. I do not. I

do not see this development. I see them talk about it. When you see

the high rates of growth in Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa, seven of

the 10 fastest growing economies around Africa. Do you not think

that you are reducing Africa to a single soundbite? You're really

feeding into the negative stereotypes. I am not. I am a

fighter. I am fighting for a better life for Africa. When I travel

around as a musician again drive from England to France and Germany.

I see the roads and structures. You have problems in Europe and America.

I go to Africa handed -- I do not see these kind of structures.

angry. Go to focus on the negative too much? Kofi Annan, the former

head of the UN said Africa is an incredible place for investment.

Then people are making innovation in all areas. Africa has a story

that no-one can afford to ignore. You are the Afro pessimist. I am

optimistic. I am fighting for a change. Do not misunderstand what

I'm doing. You have to understand the situation we're in. We have

great Africans. We're doing well in engineering, sports. We have good

African soldiers, doctors, physicians. When it comes to

African governments, how many African countries are doing well as

governments? CD corruption in South Africa. That is one side. The race

that, but the point I am looking -- put into you is that you're giving

me a one dimensional picture. you listen to my music, there was a

track called bad government. We are dynamic, we do very well. Webb

comes to the government, what is the government to wrong-foot the

people? Do you believe that three of music you can make the

government pay attention? Years. People will be motivated to be good

people through my music. If I can be as successful and had not sold

up to live in Europe or Los Angeles and they come back and stay in

Nigeria and fight for the poor people, they can do we do as well.

They can make Africa great. We know that a lot of Africans are going

back. They are losing despite leaving the West's. Why should

Africa always look up to the West. Why shouldn't Africa be the envy of

the world? When you look at your music, apart from the political

message using of love. Some of your lyrics array bit racy. If you look

at Nigeria today, UK the track you came from Lagos. You cannot go to

the north. You have not performed in the north for 20 years. That is

indicative of a big divide. This is a political class. Because of the

poverty in the North, it is so bad compared to the south. Over the

years it has deteriorated to were the northerners are becoming

suicide bombers. We could not think about this in the 70s. What would

you say about the bombings now? Is that progress? Is that things that

in the 1970s, the electricity would go for two hours a day. Now we have

no electricity for days. You're talking of the oil-rich province

King Juan Carlos of Spain is where they take all the oil. They have no

schools. They complain about the big companies taking oil. You do

not see a religious divide? You bring it all down to a lack of

opportunity and wealth? Over 50 years of bad government, corruption,

the government says all his good things. Yes, we will do these

things, will give you electricity. They have seen this. In the north

now you have suicide bombers. In the 1980s when my father was

talking we could not envisage that. We did not believe that Nigerians

would become suicide bombers. are celebrating your 50th birthday.

Your country is slightly older than you. As you look at it now, do you

fear for Nigeria that after so many years of independence it is still

unable to get its act together? I fear. I fear that it could end up

like Sudan. I fear for division. I want my children to go to school in

Africa. I dunno what to lose this quarter. I do know what my children

to look up to Europe or America and believe this is where they need to

be. What is the contribution of Africa in the global world? Would

you go into politics? Know. I don't want to. I am a musician. I want to

play music. I went to meet people. Now there you have turned 50 cure

not digging it is time for a change? Know. 80 per the saxophone,

Nowra play the trumpet. -- now I play the trumpet. I do not do this

because I want to become famous. I do would because I am truly

concerned about the level of poverty on the continent of Africa.

Globally, I am concerned about Greece, I am concerned about Kosovo