Funke Kuti, the Nigerian dancer-turned-event planner, has said she is very proud of her son with Femi Kuti.
She told Saturday Beats, “Omorinmade, I feel so proud (of him), I cannot even explain it. I look at him and think, ‘Wow, I gave birth to him’. It is such a joy and blessing to have a son who is a blessing to everyone around him. I am still in awe of the amount of talent he has. I am proud of where he has reached in such a short time of his career. He is already a Grammy Award nominee at 25, and that is huge. I know he still has a long way to go but he is so hardworking, resilient, dedicated, and very focused on his goals. He knows exactly what he wants and is very determined to get there. I am very proud of the man and musician he is becoming.”
Funke, who turned 50 in September 2021, noted that she does not feel differently than she did as a younger person.
She said, “I always find that question amusing because I don’t feel any different than I did at 49 or 48. I believe one is as young as one feels. I feel great, loving my life and taking each day as it comes. I thank God for letting me see this milestone. I have a family I love, friends I love, and a career and job I love, as well as my most amazing son, Omorinmade, who means the world to me.”
Funke, who is the Chief Executive Officer of FK management, also stated that she is enjoying her journey as an events planner.
She said, “I like to say that event planning found me. I never thought I would become an event planner. I actually studied Business Administration but I have always loved to bring people together and I am very passionate about my family and friends celebrating events, no matter how small it is, as long as we can spend some quality time together.
“I started organising intimate events first. Then, every job I had when I entered the workforce always had the event management portfolio attached to it. That was when I started organising events professionally for the companies where I worked till I eventually set up FK Management in 1998. I am a super organiser, coordinator and multitasking master with great people and time management skills.
So, it came naturally to me. It takes a special type of person to be an event planner. We are very rare.”