Pioneering dancer, choreographer and fitness coach, Dr Kafayat Shafau, popularly known as Kaffy, speaks about her journey from a National Stadium aerobics class to the Guinness World Records, her sporting past, the state of the Super Eagles, and more in this interview with PETER AKINBO
How did you get into dancing and entertainment?
I started dancing as a child. I just loved it, and I never thought it would become a career. In secondary school, I was more into sports. Later, while trying to lose weight, I went to the National Stadium in Lagos for aerobics classes. The coach noticed that I was a very active participant, and one day, when he was not around, he gave me his class. People enjoyed the way I taught dance for exercise, and that was the start. Then I went to Ogun State University, where I initiated the first female basketball team. Dance was always part of our half-time performances, including at the V-Mobile basketball tournament at the National Stadium, and that is how I began to get recognition as a choreographer. Later, I performed a solo at a modelling casting show called Karamba Night. I got a standing ovation, and Ruggedman and the manager of Adewale Ayuba approached me for their music videos. That was how I became the popular girl in Baraje and Adewale Ayuba’s Ijebu Fuji.
What first attracted you to dancing and made you decide to pursue it as a career? And also elevate it in Nigeria?
It was something I loved, and sports and dance were what worked for me while I faced many challenges in my education. I also have a different philosophy about careers. The creative industry was grossly undervalued when I was growing up. Nobody considered you a person of honour if you went into the arts, entertainment or sports. I do not believe a human being’s value should be measured that way. Being a doctor or lawyer does not make you better than a dancer, footballer or hairstylist. It is not the career that makes the person; it is the person that makes the career.
What kept you going when you were still trying to establish yourself in the industry?
I saw that dance made people happier in the fitness space. It relieves stress and boosts self-confidence, unlike some rigorous exercise that can even raise the level of cortisol. There was no social media then, so it was person by person. My early career was built on tours with artistes. It took a long time to establish the worth of my service, but because of my academic background and my understanding of business, I could articulate what I was bringing. Before I knew it, I was the highest paid.
Did your family support your decision to pursue this path?
Obviously not. No average family supports that, even in America, let alone Africa. A dancer was often labelled immoral, a dropout or unintelligent. Family support came later, after I broke the Guinness World Record. That was when even the country started to think this could be something.
What has been your most memorable project so far?
The one everybody remembers is the Guinness World Record. But for me, the Calabar Carnival in 2012, 2013 and 2014 was memorable. I joined a band that had lost for years, and I brought victory three years in a row. Winning the Headies Special Recognition Award was also prominent. As a dancer, that kind of recognition is very hard to get, and to this day I am still the only dancer who has received it.
While growing up in school, what sports did you participate in?
I was an all-rounder. In primary school, I did a little taekwondo, along with ballet and cultural clubs. In secondary school, I played more football and did long-distance running. After secondary school, it was a lot of basketball, dancing and aerobics. I love jogging and used to run the MTN Marathon when it was still called that. I also swam for my school, and I have started learning tennis again. I did well in most of them. I even went to the state karate games. I had gone to participate in basketball, but because I had done karate after secondary school, I had to put on the taekwondo uniform when our participant was not available. I won silver, and that was against a more advanced taekwondo athlete.
What did you enjoy the most about it?
Everything. I love the discipline and the commitment that sports require. Sports form your mentality towards life, and I apply that energy to everything I do. Team sports also teach you that you cannot be selfish. I was taught swimming by someone who represented Nigeria, and even if I have not swum for years, you can see in the water that my form is not average.
Would you have liked to pursue a sports career?
Yes, I actually thought at some point that I could go to the WNBA because of how well I was doing in basketball. But I felt it was not for me. Even now, my kung fu and tennis coaches say, “ Ma’am, if you commit for a year or two, you should be doing tournaments. If it were any sport, it would be martial arts, swimming or table tennis. Age is just a number in most cases.
Did you grow up in a sports-loving household?
Yes. My dad introduced us all to Arsenal, and my half-brother also played in England. If there is any sport my family holds dear, it is football.
Who would you say is your favourite sportsman or sportswoman?
That is a lot. For Nigeria, I respect Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha a lot for the memorable mark he made in football, and the entire Dream Team are my hero. I also love our athletes and our basketball players. Outside Nigeria, I admire the work ethic and commitment of Cristiano Ronaldo. I know there is always a Ronaldo and Messi argument, but I like Ronaldo because he is a complete sportsman and businessman, an athlete to the core. Messi is known for his sportsmanship, but Ronaldo is an all-rounder. If you look at the lifestyles of these guys, it is a rigid, structured system that keeps them on top.
And would you love to go on a date with any of them, and why?
Not a romantic date, no. But if it means hanging out, I would love to sit in the same room with Cristiano Ronaldo. I have been in the same room with Austin Okocha and Coach Ambrose, and I am proud of that. I would love to meet great sportsmen I have admired from afar.
What sports do you enjoy the most and what team do you support?
I do not really have a team I support. I support greatness and excellence. Sometimes I watch to see why people fall, because there is a greater lesson in that as well.
Who is your GOAT in all of sports?
I will still pick Cristiano Ronaldo, because he embodies discipline, commitment and passion. He is also a commercial guy and an influencer. That man is all-round.
What do you think of the Super Eagles, and who do you think is the greatest Nigerian player?
It is very sad that we are still not able to maintain the momentum we had from USA ‘94 and Atlanta ‘96. That Dream Team had Rashidi Yekini, Finidi George, Jay-Jay Okocha, Emmanuel Amunike and Stephen Keshi, among many other greats. God rest the souls of those who have departed. Nigeria keeps churning out amazing talent, but the team is where we struggle. I think the problem is our innate conditioning. We do not know how to nurture things. We have a miracle mindset, where we expect things to just happen. Every time we do, but are we going to go through the process of developing a team, or are we going to wait for players to do well elsewhere and then hand-pick them to come into camp? That is not the best way to create a team. You need a system that keeps producing successful outcomes regardless of names or players. That is what the Nigeria Football Federation is still struggling to put together. Politics affects it, money affects it, and the betting industry affects it, so there are many fingers in the pie.
But none of that stops a great team from emerging. The core reason the team is being built should not be lost just because everybody wants a piece of the pie.
Would you encourage your kids to pursue a career in sports? What if it is boxing?
Yes, I encourage my children to do sports in whatever capacity they want. I also do not want them to put all their eggs in one basket. If you are a sprinter today, you might be a coach, a manager or an academy owner tomorrow. They should have a pathway, because no single road leads to the market. Boxing is the only one I have an issue with. Even when I did karate or kung fu, I preferred demonstration to sparring. My parents caught me with a black eye a couple of times and did not let me go again. I cannot handle watching my husband or my child being beaten. But if a child or grandchild of mine says that is what he wants to do, who am I to stop him? Everybody has a life to live, and we will just keep loving them.