Maverick singer Seun Kuti has claimed that his father, Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, contracted HIV from his wives due to his liberal stance on their extramarital affairs, describing the late icon as the “victim” of his own philosophy.
Maverick singer Seun Kuti has sparked intense conversation following an Instagram livestream where he addressed the circumstances surrounding the death of his father, the late Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. Rebutting long-standing public narratives that Fela was responsible for infecting his wives with HIV, Seun claimed that the reverse was true. He alleged that Fela’s progressive, non-traditional stance on marriage allowed his wives the freedom to have affairs with other men, provided they did not bring them to his home. “Fela did not keep his women to himself. He believed that as he is free to sleep with all the women, the women are also free to meet other men. His law was that they shouldn’t bring the men to his house,” Seun stated, identifying this liberal policy as one of his father’s “greatest mistakes.”
According to the younger Kuti, Fela’s refusal to act as a “traditional man” who restricted his partners’ movements ultimately made him vulnerable to the disease. Seun argued that because Fela was a homebody who did not seek sexual partners outside his residence, the virus was introduced into his household by the women he was married to. “My father doesn’t leave his house to sleep with other women outside, so it was his women who brought HIV home to him. Nobody is perfect. Everybody make mistakes. But Fela is a man that is on the side of humanity,” Seun remarked. He emphasized that the “Kalakuta Republic” was built on a foundation of absolute freedom, which included sexual autonomy for both the singer and his 27 wives.
The singer’s comments serve as a direct response to recent online criticisms questioning Fela’s legacy due to his 1997 death from AIDS-related complications. Seun expressed frustration with those who portray the Afrobeat icon as a predator, insisting that Fela was a victim of his own ideological commitment to human liberty. “I saw a video of a lady online saying why are people praising Fela’s legacy despite him giving women HIV and dying of AIDS. I said, ‘Oh, Fela you see yourself?’ If Fela was a traditional man, he would still be alive,” he added. These revelations come as the Kuti family continues to manage the vast cultural and musical heritage of the late Abami Eda, amidst ongoing debates regarding his complex personal life.
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