Award-winning Nigerian dancer and choreographer, Kafayat Shafau, popularly known as Kaffy, has shared the story of her difficult childhood, revealing how her once-affluent family lost everything and plunged into hardship.
Speaking on a recent episode of the Honest Bunch Podcast, the 45-year-old dance icon disclosed that her parents, Alhaji Shafau and Alhaja Alake Lakonko, were once Lagos socialites “in the league of MKO Abiola,” hosting top musicians such as King Sunny Ade, Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, and Ebenezer Obey in their home.
“My parents were in the league of MKO Abiola. They were the first people to spray dollars at parties. You would hear Sunny Ade and Barrister sing their praises. These people came to our house every weekend,” Kaffy recalled.
However, things took a downturn, leading to a total financial collapse. Her father eventually moved to London, where he worked as a cleaner to survive.
Kaffy revealed that the family’s sudden fall from grace forced her and her siblings to endure severe hunger and deprivation.
“There were times when there was no food for weeks and months. Hunger is a mentor. I drank garri for seven months without break, and there was no Kwashiorkor,” she said.
She also recounted the emotional toll on her mother, who sometimes suffered psychotic breaks and blamed her children for her frustrations.
“She would have psychotic breaks and put all of us in the centre of the house, saying, ‘You are the reason why… your destiny should start providing for me because you’re the reason I am not anywhere in my life,’” she revealed.
Despite the hardship, Kaffy has risen to become one of Nigeria’s most successful dancers and choreographers, inspiring many with her resilience, groundbreaking career, and contribution to the entertainment industry.
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