Ahe legendary Afrobeat artist Fela Kuti‘s son, Seun Kuti, has given an explanation for why his father got married to 27 women in one day.
Fela gained notoriety in 1978 when he married 27 women at once.
In a recent interview, Seun told the Fresh Off The Boat podcast that the large-scale wedding was a reaction to heavy media attention.
He said that the press was calling Fela’s female backing vocalists and dancers, who lived with him, “prostitutes.”
Seun recounted how his father asked the 27 women to marry him in order to preserve their respect and dignity.
“My father was under immense media propaganda. He was very scrutinised,” he said.
“And most of it was directed to the women in his life; his female backup singers, dancers.
“They all lived together with my dad but the media started calling them prostitutes.
“So my dad, 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 shared his experience of how his father, the legendary Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, prioritized philanthropy over inheritance.
He reminisced about his childhood, mentioning that his daily allowance as a student exceeded his teacher’s salary. However, when his father passed away, he inherited nothing due to Fela Kuti’s charitable disposition.
Seun Kuti asserted that his father was providing for approximately 1000 individuals in his Kalakuta commune before his demise.
Speaking in a video message shared via his Instagram account, Kuti said,
“When Fela was the top musician in Nigeria, we were living with about 500 people in our house. All the money I was meant to inherit, Fela used it to cater for people.
“Everyone in Kalakuta was receiving daily allowance and weekly salaries. Both Kalakuta and [African] shrine. Almost 1000 people. They were artisans… We had all the professions in Kalakuta.
“My pocket money in 1990, throughout my primary school was N100 per day. My pocket money a day was bigger than my teacher’s salary.”
