Seun Kuti, son of late Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, has made a fresh claim about his father’s personal life, alleging that the music icon did not restrict his many wives from having relationships with other men.
Speaking in a recent interview, the younger Kuti addressed criticism surrounding Fela’s legacy, particularly accusations that the Afrobeat pioneer exposed women to HIV before dying from AIDS-related complications in 1997.
Seun recounted seeing an online video in which a woman questioned why people continue to praise Fela despite his alleged role in spreading the virus.
“I said, ‘Oh, Fela, you see yourself?’” Seun recalled. “If Fela was a traditional man, he would still be alive.”
According to the Grammy-nominated musician, Fela operated under a philosophy of mutual sexual freedom. He claimed that while Fela had multiple partners, he also allowed his women to be with other men — under one condition.
“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,” Seun said. “His law was that they shouldn’t bring the men to his house.”
Seun contrasted his father’s lifestyle with his own, stating: “My father doesn’t leave his house to sleep with other women outside.”
He then made the provocative assertion that it was Fela’s wives who introduced the virus into the household. “So it was his women who brought HIV home to him,” he said.
While acknowledging his father’s flaws, Seun defended Fela’s broader legacy. “Nobody is perfect. Everybody makes mistakes. But Fela is a man that is on the side of humanity,” he added.
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, one of Africa’s most influential musicians, died on August 2, 1997, at age 58. His music remains a powerful symbol of political resistance, though his personal life — including his marriage to 27 women in one ceremony in 1978 — has long been a subject of debate.
Representatives for the Fela estate could not be immediately reached for comment.
