The son of the late Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti has warned a group affiliated with the ruling party in the country against using t-shirts bearing his father’s name, or risk legal action.
In a tweet, Femi Kuti issued a cease-and-desist order to the @APCNigeria twitter handle, saying that “use of Fela’s name on the T shirts bearing the name ‘JAGABAN’ was never authorized.”
On Tuesday, “APC Support” posted pictures of grey and white shirts with a popular Fela Kuti quote on spiritualism printed on it. The “APC Support” page calls itself the “commentary & support account for the APC and president Muhammadu Buhari’s #Nextlevel Administration.” It has over a million followers.
“The family does not align with any political party in Nigeria or beyond,” Kuti added.
“We are carefully assessing the situation and failure to comply with this demand will leave us with no other option but to explore any legal options that are available to us.”
Fela Kuti is remembered as an influential icon who was brave enough to boldly voice his opinions on matters that affected the nation through his music.
At the height of his popularity, he was referred to as one of Africa’s most “challenging and charismatic music performers.”