France’s President Emmanuel Macron has visited the famous nightclub built in honour of legendary musician Fela Kuti in Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos.

Fela, who died in 1997, pioneered the Afrobeat sound and was known for his sexual exploits, marijuana smoking and being a fearless critic of military rule.

French President Emmanuel Macron was at the New Afrika Shrine in Lagos for the Celebrate African Culture event hosted by Trace Nigeria and Ecobank.

The event, hosted by Banky W, was attended by Mo Abudu, Genevieve Nnaji, Ramsey Nouah, Alexx Ekubo, Kemi Lala Akindoju, Eunice Omole, Tosin Odunfa, Ozzy Agu, Kunle Afolayan, Yomi Fasho Lanso, Steve Babeko, Michael Ugwu.

Former governor of Anambra state Peter Obi, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, Desmond Elliot, and Lai Mohammed were also in attendance.

“Fela was not just a musician. He was a politician who wanted to change society. So if I have one message for young people, it’s this: ‘Yes, politics is important; yes, be involved.’”

But the presence of Mr Macron brought a different ambience to the iconic venue, Reuters reported.

The smell of marijuana was absent and the gathering of youths that usually gather outside were absent because of the heavy security presence, it says.

The French leader, who spent six months as an intern at the French embassy in the country in 2002, told reporters earlier how fond he was of the West African country.

“It’s an appealing country. I’ve got a lot of memories… that haven’t left me.”

During an evening classic Fela songs were played alongside performances from contemporary artists, and a fashion show was also held.

Mr Macron also played a drum and took selfies with Nollywood stars:

Mr Macron told the audience Nigeria was important for African culture.

Earlier in the day, he had held talks with his Nigeria counterpart Muhammadu Buhari. The talks focused on security.

See some photos below;

Genevieve Nnaji

Femi Kuti

Wole Soyinka

Banky W

Ramsey Nouah

Banky W and President Macron