African music legend and Afrobeat creator Fela Anikulapo Kuti married 23 women on the same day – February 20, 1978, all of whom were his back up dancers.
History has it that Fela was able to pull off the feat by putting out a notebook and asking any of the girls who was interested in marrying him, to write down their names. And 23 of them wrote their names.
On February 20th, Fela reportedly called 12 Ifa priests to join him and his wives in holy matrimony at the Parisona Hotel in Anthony, Lagos. Many of the wives were married to him against their parents’ consent.
The event was joined by band members, friends and family. Fela was said to have placed naira notes on their heads, offered a few words and gave them all marriage certificates.
He is said to have engaged a rotating system of having just 12 of the new wives live with him at a particular time. After the wedding day, he had sex with one, then another, then another till he went round all of them. He took them all to Ghana for the honeymoon shortly afterwards.
It was said that another reason why the marriage held was to protect Fela, and his wives, from claims from authorities that Fela was kidnapping the women.
List of the 23 women:
1. Fehintola Kayode (Seun’s Mum)
2. Damiregba (Naijite, Motun’s Mum)
3. Keuwe Oghomienor (Kewe)
4. Folake Oladeinde (Alake)
5. Folake Oladejo
6. Ronke Edason
7. Laide
8. Emaruagheru Osawe
9. Ihase
10. Shade Shodeinde
11. Suru Eriomola
12. Tejumade Adebiyi
13. Omolola Osaeti
14. Tokunbo Akran
15. Ronke (another one)
16. Adejonwo
17. Lamiley
18. Funmilayo
19. Adunni
20. Remilekun
21. Kikelomo
22. Lara
23. Bose
