-
It’s ‘un-African’ to beat your child – Seun Kuti reflects on his childhood
Renowned Afrobeat musician and Egypt 80 band leader, Seun Kuti, has addressed the issue of child battery, asserting that it is not part of African culture.
In a recent video shared on his Instagram page, the 41-year-old son of the legendary Fela Kuti reflected on his own childhood and the steps his father took to protect him from corporal punishment at school.
Seun recounted how his father, Fela Kuti, would send a letter to his headmistress in primary school and his principal in secondary school, explicitly instructing that no teacher was to lay a hand on him.
The letter, as Seun explained, read: “Nobody should touch my child. If he has done anything wrong, report him at home. I will punish him myself.”
Seun expressed gratitude for his father’s proactive stance, noting: “That’s the one thing I like my father for. So when I was going to school, my father always gave me a letter on the first day of school.”
The Afrobeat star also recalled an incident where a teacher disregarded his father’s instructions and flogged him. Seun wasted no time reporting the teacher at home, and the consequences were swift and severe.
He reflected on the incident, stating: “One teacher tried himself one day. I didn’t even like the said teacher. The speed with which I reported him at home, he went through a lot after that day.”
In his message, Seun challenged the widespread notion that corporal punishment is ingrained in African parenting culture. He argued that this belief stems from a history of oppression rather than traditional African practices: it’s ‘un-African’ to beat your child. I know that some of us have been indoctrinated to believe that African parents beat their children; no. African people were being beaten; it’s not the other way around.”
Seun Kuti’s stance highlights the need for a re-evaluation of disciplinary practices in African households and schools, advocating for a more respectful and nurturing approach to child upbringing.
View this post on Instagram