Femi's here, for better or worse

All those critics of Live8 who asked, 'Where are all the African artists? Where's Femi Kuti?'. The answer is he was here in Brussels, at Couleur Cafe, the annual World Music shindig at the Tour et Taxis warehouse complex by the canal.
On one level I really enjoyed the set that Kuti and his band, The Positive Force, played on Saturday night. Top drawer Afrobeat, conscious lyrics and fantastic dancing. On another level, it left me a little cold. I mean, I loved the cover of his father's 'Water no get enemy', but I wonder if I would have been so quick to clap if it was Julian Lennon playing 'I am the Walrus' or Ziggy Marley performing 'Three little birds'? In other words, does what Kuti represents obscure the reactions of white, Western critics to him as an artist? Should Femi Kuti have been playing Live8 even if his music was shit (it's not)?