Yeni Kuti Reveals Fela Was Admitted to Music School in London “Out of Pity”

Media personality Yeni Kuti has revealed that her late father, legendary Afrobeats pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, gained admission into the prestigious Trinity College of Music in London in 1958 not on academic merit, but out of pity.

Speaking on a recent episode of the TVC programme Your View, Yeni shared a little-known backstory about Fela’s early struggles with academics. She explained that while Fela’s parents—both scholars—had high academic expectations, he was considered the least academically inclined among his siblings.

According to her, Fela’s parents initially didn’t want him to study abroad due to his average grades. However, his elder siblings, already living in London, misled their parents by claiming Fela had secured admission to study medicine in the UK.

“When he got to London, they enrolled him in a music school instead because he was already playing the piano,” Yeni said. “But when he got to Trinity College of Music, the admission officer told him, ‘It’s only because you’ve come a long distance that I’m going to allow you into this school with these results.’”

Yeni added that the decision, though unconventional, marked the beginning of Fela’s journey to becoming one of Africa’s most iconic musical figures. “That was how Fela even got into music school—out of pity. But look at it today, he is a legend,” she said.