by Lovely Onohwakpor
Korra Obidi’s Graveyard Tribute to Fela Kuti Triggers Mixed Reactions Online
Nigerian dancer and singer Korra Obidi has ignited intense debate on social media after posting a video in which she twerked at the grave of Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. The video, shared on her Instagram page on Saturday, showed Obidi visiting the mausoleum alongside Fela’s son, Seun Kuti, and singer Teni.
Obidi said the performance was intended as a light-hearted tribute to the late musician, whom she described as a lover of expressive dance. “We all know that one thing Fela loved was a woman with gyrating hips, so I decided to pay Baba a homage… I decided to shake it for Baba. Seun was very happy,” she said in the video.
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She added that the visit was also an opportunity to connect with Fela’s legacy, noting that Teni “is learning to play the saxophone,” an instrument closely associated with the Afrobeat icon. “We came to pay a little homage to the spirit of the originator of Afrobeats… He enjoyed it, I can feel it. Seun said he will see me in my dream,” she joked.
Footage from the visit showed Seun Kuti performing a brief ritual at the gravesite, sprinkling alcohol and offering some to Obidi as part of the homage. He appeared pleased with the gesture, saying, “From Paris to Lagos,” while standing beside her.
The act, however, has polarised viewers. Critics argued that Obidi’s performance crossed cultural and moral boundaries. On X, user Paul Kachi wrote, “Twerking on Fela’s grave is wild behaviour… There’s a thin line between tribute and disrespect. This one crossed it.” Another user, #UK_Moyi, condemned the act as “mocking the dead,” warning against what he described as arrogance at burial sites.
Others echoed similar concerns, stressing the importance of maintaining reverence for the deceased. “Sometimes people forget that respect for the dead still matters, no matter the excuse,” commented #_nazatrades.
Yet supporters defended the performance as an authentic reflection of Fela’s flamboyant lifestyle and free-spirited philosophy. “Funny thing is that Fela would probably have loved some shit like this,” wrote Bzrk, while Àiná Òrósùn remarked, “Fela would have loved her.”
Another user, Alákòwé, praised Seun Kuti’s reaction, describing him as a guardian of his father’s cultural legacy. “He truly carries Fela’s legacy… many will call him a traditionalist… but that’s exactly why we see him as the ‘mad man’—the good part,” he said.
On Instagram, Obasogie Priscilla Tobiloba framed the event within cultural tradition, writing, “This is the tradition.”
Watch more: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1C3QDZzJ6C/
Fela Kuti, who died on 2 August 1997, remains one of Africa’s most iconic musicians. Renowned for his activism, bold stage presence, and unapologetically African identity, he famously married 27 women in a single day in a 1978 traditional Yoruba ceremony, a symbolic move he said was meant to honour his band members and shield them from social stigma.
Obidi’s tribute, though playful in intent, has once again highlighted the enduring sensitivity surrounding the legacies of cultural icons—and the fine line between homage and affront in the age of viral content.
