How I Survived on Garri for Seven Months Without Kwashiorkor After My Family Lost Everything – Kaffy

Nigerian award-winning dancer and choreographer, Kafayat Shafau, popularly known as Kaffy, has shared a touching account of her childhood, describing how her family transitioned from wealth and luxury to a period of intense hardship that shaped her resilience.

Speaking on the Honest Bunch Podcast, which was shared on Instagram on Saturday, Kaffy revealed that she was born into affluence as her parents were among Lagos’ elite socialites, closely associated with some of Nigeria’s greatest music icons.

“My parents were in the league of MKO Abiola. They were the first to spray dollar at parties. You would hear Sunny Ade and Barrister sing their praises. These people came to our house every weekend,” she recalled, noting how her parents, Alhaji Shafau and Alhaja Alake Lakonko, once thrived at the height of Lagos high society.

However, life took a sharp downturn when the family lost its fortune. Kaffy explained that her father decided to start afresh and relocated to London, where he worked as a floor cleaner, while her mother struggled with the abrupt fall from grace.

“There were many times when we had no food for weeks and months. Hunger is a mentor. If the only thing available is water, the body will adapt. I drank garri for seven straight months without a break, and there was no Kwashiorkor,” she said.

She also recounted her mother’s struggles with emotional instability during that period, which sometimes resulted in outbursts directed at her children.

“She would have psychotic breaks and put us in the middle 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,’” Kaffy narrated.

Her story stands as a testament to survival, resilience, and determination, showing how the hardships of her early life shaped her journey to becoming one of Nigeria’s most celebrated dance icons.