diff --git a/otk/Makefile.am b/otk/Makefile.am
index 170e13f9..a31f1098 100644
--- a/otk/Makefile.am
+++ b/otk/Makefile.am
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-CPPFLAGS=`pkg-config --cflags xft` @CPPFLAGS@
+CPPFLAGS=$(XFT_CFLAGS) @CPPFLAGS@
 
 INCLUDES= -I../src