My struggles as a dancer – Kaffy
Popular dancer and choreographer, Kafayat Shafau, aka Kaffy, has shared the difficulties she faced because she chose dancing as her profession.
According to her, she lost some of her close friends who supported her initially because she chose dancing as a career.
Her words, “Taking on a career without any gender focus is already tough. As a dancer, the only place we were appreciated was when we were displaying for the National Troupe, or when were called by a governor for a national assignment. Dancing was not a mainstream career, neither was it commercially viable.
“Breaking into that door that did not exist was the main sacrifice for me, as well as the pain of losing family friends and people around me. I was practically isolated. There even some people who initially supported me, but withdrew their support because they did not see what I was seeing.”
On how some male counterparts related with her, the dancer stated that women in entertainment were often viewed as sexual objects.
She said, “As a woman, one is often asked what value one brings to the table to be considered with one’s male peers. I struggled a lot with that because while expressing myself, I had to deal with music directors, editors and different stakeholders who felt one’s opinion was not necessary. But, one of the things that helped me was the fact that I am highly educated and intellectual enough to express my ideas and implement them in ways that earned me respect. I was also hands-on with whatever I said.”
