Waka music veteran Queen Salawa Abeni has disclosed that she lived with paralysis for five years following the death of her first son.
The singer shared the experience during an interview with YouTube channel Oyinmomo, where she reflected on some of the most challenging moments of her personal life and musical career.
According to Salawa, she became paralysed from the neck down after losing her son, leaving her reliant on other people for assistance with basic daily activities.
“I faced challenges when my first son died such that I was paralysed for five years. I was taken from place to place in search of healing but despite that, I never got tired of music.
“In fact, when my siblings were crying, I would tell them to stop because I knew I was going to get well. I got paralysed from neck to my legs. I was being bathed and dressed for. I thank God for his mercy.”
Reflecting on the challenges she encountered in the early stages of her music career, the singer said performing music in those days was far from easy.
According to her, she sometimes experienced disturbing health episodes while performing on stage, including vomiting blood.
Salawa, who has remained associated with Waka music for over four decades, used the interview to clarify the history of the genre and distance herself from claims that she was its creator.
“I started out very young but there were older women, even older than my parents, that were already singing Waka music. So, I didn’t create Waka music, people were already doing it,” she said.
