Omoyeni 'Yeni' Anikulapo-Kuti, dancer, singer and initiator of the annual music festival, Felabration, has been recognised as World Dance Master by the World Masters Committee.
Yeni’s partner, Theo Lawson, who likened the award to the Nobel Prize, disclosed this on his Facebook page on Wednesday 25 October 2023.
Lawson also posted a photo of the certificate awarded to Yeni.
She wrote:
“YENI KUTI- ‘WORLD DANCE MASTER!’ It’s no joke, after over 40 years on stage, on the road and in classrooms, my dearest YK Power gets recognised as a World Dance Master. Issued by the World Masters Committee, it is like the Nobel Prize of dance. Congratulations my Love
The World Masters Committee wrote on the certificate: “The World Masters Committee is very pleased to award this certificate of the World Master of his/her country to the above-named person with all the honour, rights and privileges pertaining thereto.
The World Masters Committee, based in South Korea with member countries from across the globe, is devoted to promoting the power of culture and maintaining the idea of creating one world through arts and culture.
Born in England on 24 May 1961, Yeni is the eldest child of Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo Kuti. The 62 years old conceived the idea of Felabration, a music festival organised to celebrate the life and contributions of her father Fela to the global music industry and the Nigerian nation.
Yeni had her primary and post-primary education in Nigeria after leaving England at the age of two. She holds a diploma in journalism from the Nigerian Institute of Journalism.
A dancer and dance teacher, she joined her brother Femi Kuti’s band in 1986 as a singer and dancer after quitting her job as a fashion designer. She currently manages the Afrika Shrine and works as a curator with Femi at the shrine.
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