Seun Kuti, a renowned afrobeats singer and son of the legendary Fela Anikulapo Kuti, has shed light on the motivations behind his father’s historic marriage to 27 women in a day.
This extraordinary event, which took place in 1978, has long been a topic of fascination and curiosity.
In a recent appearance on the ‘Fresh Off The Boat’ podcast via Skype, Seun Kuti revealed that his father’s decision to marry 27 women simultaneously was a deliberate attempt to protect their reputation and dignity.
At the time, the media was subjecting Fela’s female dancers and band members, who lived with him, to intense scrutiny and labeling them as “prost!tutes.”
According to Seun Kuti, his father was under so much pressure from the media, which was largely focused on the women in his life. To combat the negative attention and preserve their honor, Fela asked these women if they would be willing to formalize their relationships with him through marriage.
He said:
“My father was under immense media propaganda. He was very scrutinised. And most of it were directed to the women that were in his life; his female back-up singers, dancers. They all lived together with my dad but the media started calling them prostitutes.
“So my dad, in order to preserve their honour and dignity, asked them if they would choose to be his brides so nobody would call them names anymore and they all agreed. That was how the marriage happened.”
Recall that Seun Kuti had earlier opened up on how he was stigmatized for being Fela’s son’ .
In a recent interview with actress Iyabo Ojo, Seun Kuti stated that his paternity had an impact on his life, even his relationship, emphasizing that he couldn’t go to his girlfriend’s father’s house because of that.
As Fela’s son, people often had preconceived notions about him, he claims.
He stated that because his late father did nothing to merit it, the stigmatization was abhorrent.
