The New Afrika Shrine recently played host to the French President
Emmanuel Macron, and during his visit, he was treated to undiluted
African hospitality.
While speaking to Saturday Beats during the week about France number one
citizen’s visit, Yeni Kuti described how Fela would have felt if he was
alive during the French president’s visit.
“Fela would have been very happy because while he was alive, he was
happy that the government of France recognised him, his struggles and
music. French people were the first Europeans to connect to Afrobeat;
that is why there is a sustained relationship between the Kuti family
and France.
“The president had been to the shrine when he was a very young man and
he even made a comment that he never knew he would come back to the
shrine as president. He really had fun when he came and enjoyed Femi’s
performance. However, he didn’t want to disrupt the flow of the shrine;
he just wanted to enjoy his visit. But as a president, his arrival had
to be guarded with strict protocols,” she said.
The French president was flanked by dignitaries and Nigerian celebrities
alike when he visited The New Afrika Shrine. Yeni said that she saw a
lot of new faces at the shrine for the first time.
“I saw a lot of people there who had never been to the shrine
before; many people were there for the first time in their life. I was
even shocked,” she told Saturday Beat.