Son of late Afro legend Fela Kuti, Seun Kuti has revealed why he was told to disassociate himself from colleague, D’banj.
Seun says it was due to the rape saga that has been trailing the Koko Master for a while.
In an interview with The Sun, the Egypt ‘80 bandleader and Grammy award nominee said, “One issue that has dominated national discuss lately is rape. This rape thing eh… even me, I have been affected, because I did a song with D’banj that has not been released, and everybody is saying I have to abandon D’banj. You want my take on rape?
For me, the appropriate discussion that should be had among African people all over the world cannot be rape. What we must discuss is rape culture. The things that happen among us in our community that empower, embolden and encourage rapists. We can continue to go after individuals, but as long as the culture that encourages, emboldens and empowers rapists continues to be sustained, then rape will not stop.
What do I mean by rape culture? Young men are brought up and told that women are created for man. In fact, majority of Nigerian men are raised believing that God did not even remember to create women. Men were bored and God was like ‘oh, Adam needs Eve so he crated Eve’.
Now, this is one aspect of rape culture, that mentality that diminishes women in front of men, that makes certain people believe that women are property. So, you find a higher percentage of women being abused because we have a higher percentage of religious people that believe this. That is why you hear people saying I cannot rape my wife.”
He continued, “Now, we also operate a capitalist system. Capitalism is exploitation whether you like it or not; it is the exploitation of man and nature. We see it in what we call climate change and global warming. See how nature is being abused, destroyed and raped! We sit down in Africa and watch men completely rape nations.
People in Nigeria using our own resources to become billionaires by selling us to the highest bidder, not thinking of the larger good of everybody, but thinking of how they can extract as much by raping their own people. Men like these are elevated in our society, and there is a small gap between raping a people and raping a woman. It is not only in Africa.
Men that exploit nations must exploit industries, people and persons. Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, the list is endless. Look at the top, Donald Trump, Boris Johnson; they all have rape allegations. We listen to songs all day debasing women. Spank a bitch! F-ck a hoe! Women aint sh-t! Black women this, black women that! We support these people and elevate them to the top of the entertainment industry and arts, and children begin to look up to them.
And to justify this, they argue that ‘Arnold Swarzeneeger is killing people in his films, why are you not saying that is the reason why there is so much killing going on? But you are saying that it is what we say in our music that is affecting the youth.
There is nobody in this world that will think about killing people after watching one scene in one film; nobody does that!’ And you watch the film, maybe once or twice in a year no matter how interesting that film is. But talking about your favourite song, you hum it to yourself in your palour, in the bathroom. You hear it play at least 20 times a day. It is not the same influence. Stop deceiving our youths.
There is exploitation everywhere. Everywhere rapists abound! Then we are surprised when these same people are exposed for actually raping one person. My people have been made to believe that, once you are rich, freedom becomes the power to do and undo as long as you can. For them, nothing is sacred, nothing! We encourage the freedom of individual power with no responsibility attached and then we complain that people are raped. Rape culture exists in the church where little boys and girls are abused. As long as we embrace this mentality, it will continue to be what it is, and it is not only in Africa, it is also in all communities. How are they raping their women in (Saudi) Arabia? How are they not raping their women in America? It is all the same because people are infected with rape culture. Rape culture has its foundation in religion and capitalism.”
