Fela inspired me to become a saxophonist

Kunle Ajayi is a celebrated saxophonist, music teacher and pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God. He shares his humble beginnings in this interview with Eric Dumo

How was childhood, where did you grow up?

I grew up in the Idi-oro, Mushin, area of Lagos and I attended Mushin Town Council Primary School before proceeding to Eko Boys High School. I later went to study Music Education at the College of Education, Ijanikin.

Those days in Mushin, we had several cinemas that we used to visit almost every day of the week. We normally visited most parts of Mushin including the notorious Akala neighbourhood. But by the grace of God, the influence of the community didn’t go down too long on me before He arrested me. I was in secondary school when I gave my life to Jesus Christ.

My childhood was filled with struggles. There was a time I was staying with my mother and stepfather, then later went to live with my uncle. I was the second child of my mother but the first for my father.

There was a time my mother was very ill and I had to go round selling a lot of our belongings to make ends meet. There was a time I hawked cooked yam, soap and even palm oil. It was a very tough period in my life. I had to do all sorts of odd jobs just to survive. It is a period in my life I can never forget.

How were you able to survive in a tough environment like Mushin as a little boy?

Akala area is known for drugs and other sorts of criminal activities but by the grace of God, I was rescued from that environment. My uncle was a regular church goer . He used a free ride to church every Sunday and for me, the thought of riding in a car was a huge attraction I could not resist. So, because of this free ride, I started attending church every Sunday.

Having come from such notorious background and the type of struggles you faced as a boy, did you ever dream of becoming anything big in life?

My biggest ambition at the time was to become a boxer because you know you meet with hooligans on the streets of Mushin and you want to fight them back. So, to be able to fight back, you had to acquire some boxing skills. For me, that was what I wanted to become in life.

Honestly, during that period, I had no idea I was going to end up being a saxophonist. I learnt how to play the saxophone after I gave my life to Jesus.

How old were you when you gave your life to Jesus?

I was 13 years old then, I was only a boy at the time.

So, when exactly did you start playing the saxophone?

I used to visit Fela’s Shrine around Mosalashi in Mushin a lot as a young boy. He would come out with his saxophone and pants and play to the delight of the fans. I fell in love with the way he played the instrument.

Then later, I developed lung problem and I promised God that if He could heal me, I would blow it for Him. I had been ill from age 15 and by the grace of God, I was healed years later and that was how I picked up the saxophone to appreciate God for saving my life.

In essence, are you saying Fela played a major role in you becoming a saxophonist?

Yes, he influenced me a lot and was a major inspiration for me taking up the saxophone. Fela blew the instrument with passion and from the first day I set my eyes on him, I fell in love with him and the saxophone. I am happy I have been able to live that dream through the amazing grace of God.

Apart from the saxophone, which other instruments do you play?

God has blessed me with the gift to play almost all musical instrument. It is a huge gift and I am gratefully for it.

As a young man growing up in such a neighbourhood, what was the experience like with the ladies?

When we were growing up in Mushin, we moved with hard guys who detested the presence of women. If a lady came around us, we would beat her up. That was how much we didn’t like to see ladies around us. It was after I gave my life to Christ that I had to make up with many of those ladies.