Why my father married 27 women on the same day – Seun Kuti

Controversial singer and social commentator, Seun Kuti has revealed why his late father, Fela Anikulapo Kuti married 27 women in one day.

In 1978, the Afrobeat pioneer made headlines when he tied the knot with 27 women and got Nigerians asking questions because it was something no one had done.

Seun revisited the event when he appeared as a guest on ‘Fresh Off The Boat’ podcast via Skype, explaining that his father did that in a bid to preserve the women’s honour and dignity.

The Grammy nominated artiste said his father’s backup singers and dancers all lived in the same house and there was a lot of propaganda against them.

According to the instrumentalist, the media at the time was already tagging Fela’s female dancers and band members living with him as “prostitvtes.”

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 prostitvtes.

“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.”