Kafayat Shafau, the entertainer better known as Kaffy, has opened up about the challenges of forging a dance career.
In an interview with Punch, Kaffy said she struggled because dance was not a mainstream profession and did not receive recognition.
She added that she had some initial support but faced isolation and lost support from friends and family due to their doubts.
“Taking on a career without any gender focus is already tough,” she said.
“As a dancer, the only place we were appreciated was when we were displaying for the National Troupe.
“Or when we 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 were people who initially supported me, but withdrew their support because they did not see what I was seeing.”
Kaffy has had an impressive run as a dancer.
She led her dancing group in 2006 to break the Guinness World Record (GWR) for the longest dance party.
In January 2024, she revealed she started dancing to improve her mental health.