Seun Kuti Claims Late Afrobeat Legend Was Infected With HIV By His Wives

Maverick singer Seun Kuti has stirred fresh controversy regarding the legacy of his father, the late Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo Kuti, claiming that the music icon did not restrict his many wives from seeing other men.

Speaking during a recent Instagram livestream, Seun countered long-standing public perceptions that Fela was responsible for spreading HIV to his partners. Instead, he alleged that Fela’s “open door” philosophy toward his marriages eventually led to his own infection and subsequent death from AIDS-related complications in 1997.

“Fela made many mistakes,” Seun stated. “One of them was that his women all had other men. Fela did not keep his women to himself. He believed that as he was free to sleep with all women, they were also free to meet other men. His only law was that they shouldn’t bring them to his house.”

The younger Kuti argued that because Fela rarely left his home to seek external partners, it was the women who brought the virus back to the Kalakuta Republic. “If Fela were a traditional man, he would still be alive,” he added, suggesting that a more restrictive approach to his household might have saved his life.

Fela famously made global headlines in 1978 when he married 27 women in a single traditional ceremony. While the Afrobeat legend remains a symbol of resistance and human rights, his personal life continues to be a subject of intense debate, with Seun insisting that his father should be viewed as a victim of his own humanitarian and liberal ideals.