Kevwe: Fela Slept With Me More Than His Other 27 Wives

On the wings of the 2015 Felabration that just ended in
Lagos, one of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s wives, Kevwe, speaks
with TOPE OLUKOLE about her life with the late Afrobeat
musician.
How did you meet Fela?
I used to take food to an uncle of mine known as Gabriel
Okpaku who had a recording studio. I would take the food to
him there. One day, when I got to the studio, he locked me
in the dark room and walked away, leaving me with Fela
who was visiting him at the time. I had sex with Fela that
day. Later, Fela said he wouldn’t like me to live in the same
house as his boys in the Mosalashi area.
He took me to his first wife, Remi, who was Femi’s mother.
The first day I saw her, I was shocked because she was very
light and her hair was as long as that of a white woman. Fela
left me in her care and asked her to take care of me. I told
her everything about myself and she said that if I should
take her word and be like a daughter to her, there would not
be any problem.
Which year was this?
That was in 1972. He had just recorded the popular album,
Shakara.
Did you eventually marry Fela officially?
Yes, I did. I was one of the 27 women Fela married in one
day. His friend took us to his house first before we were
taken to a high court for the wedding. The people at the
court said we were underage and that Fela should be
arrested for even thinking of luring us into marriage.
Eventually, they threw us out and we went to his friend’s
office and from there to the late Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti’s
residence. By that time, Fela’s house had been burned
down. So he rented a hotel where 12 herbalists were invited
to conduct the wedding ceremony.
Which one of Fela’s house was burnt? Was it the one in
Mosalashi? Yes.
Were you living with Fela then?Yes.
Can you describe what happened?
I was an eyewitness. What happened was this: Femi was
learning to drive a car. On his way back, the police arrested
him for one reason or the other. The policemen who made
the arrest argued with Fela’s boys who appeared to be drunk
at the time. A fight ensued and one of the policemen fell to
the ground.
The others ran to nearby Abalti Army Barracks and reported
the matter to some soldiers. Before the soldiers arrived, the
boys had already gone into hiding inside Fela’s compound.
The police came in and told Fela that they wanted to arrest
his boys. But Fela said he was not going to allow that and
they threatened to bring in the army.
By this time, Fela had fortified his residence, which was
walled, with a live electric wire and anybody that touched
the wire would be electrocuted to death. When this was
going on, he told his mother that he wanted to activate the
wire; but she said he should let the police go into the
compound as long as they had a search warrant. Also, she
said if they didn’t come with one, he should be ready to
wage a total war with them.
Of course, it turned out that the policemen did not come
with a search warrant and they came in company with many
soldiers. All of them surrounded Fela’s compound at once.
He had no choice other than to turn on the electricity,
thereby activating the wire on the fence. In the process,
some soldiers were electrocuted.
That was why their colleagues came back forcefully and
threw fire into the generator that supplied the electricity and
the generator burned out. Having destroyed the power
generator, the soldiers were able to gain entry into Fela’s
home.
When they got in, they shot five girls to death instantly. I still
remember their names. They were Patience, Kemi, Kehinde
and Taiwo, alongside two white men, who were standing at
the front gate of the compound. I didn’t remember anything
else until I woke up to see myself in Abalti barracks.
Was it on the same day that Fela’s mother was killed?
Yes, the soldiers killed his mother on that day. They came in
with arms and were prepared to kill everybody in sight.
Immediately they started shooting, I went to hide in the
toilet. But they found me and beat the hell out of me. I saw
them go upstairs to Fela’s mother and carried her. At that
point, I was in pains and half-conscious. But I knew they
threw her downstairs. They were really determined to kill.
After you got married to Fela, what happened?
After the marriage ceremony, we went to Ghana for the
honeymoon.
All the 27 wives?
Yes, all the 27 wives with Alex Conde, the one that married
the late Chief Okotie Eboh’s daughter. He took us to Ghana
for the honeymoon and from there Fela brought other girls.
The other wives were always jealous because Fela paid a lot
of attention to me. Fela used to tell us to smoke marijuana
or he would not accept us as his own people.
Were you smoking marijuana before you married him?
No. He introduced me to smoking. Whenever I refused to
smoke, he would get angry and disgrace me in public.
What made you think that the other women were jealous?
They were jealous because Fela used to ask after me in my
absence and he never allowed anybody else to sit in the
front seat of his car. He took me out for shopping always
and showered me with gifts of expensive clothes. Apart from
that, I could walk in at anytime and demand anything from
him and I could drive any of the cars in his compound
whenever I wanted them.
Is it true that you used juju to charm Fela?
It is not true, I never used juju on him.
Did your parents approve of your marriage to Fela?
No.
How many children did you have for him?
But for Femi’s mother, Remi, I would not have been able to
give birth to my son. She took me to her hospital at
Apongbon and the doctors washed my womb and I got
pregnant again. I had my baby and came back with the child
and Fela’s other wives were saying that the child did not
belong to him. But Fela took the child, turned him upside
down and declared that he was his son. He named him Fela
in 1982. I went to do DNA test because it is a test of life. Let’s
say the truth because the truth will set us free.
Are you suggesting that there is more to this issue?
Yes, because there is a relative of Fela concerned. We were
living in the same house with the mother and two sisters; I
was very close to his sisters. He had loved me since the first
day I set foot in their home. He was always playing with me
and from there we started sleeping with each other.
I used to prepare his meals. His favourite meal was fried
plantain, beans and eggs. Even his best friend used to come
and call me for him. One thing about him is that he is a very
jealous person. He didn’t even want me to talk to any of
Fela’s girls and Fela too is the possessive type. I was so
afraid and so, I could not cope.
How come you were sleeping with both Fela and his relative?
Once, the relative told Fela bluntly that he wanted to marry
me. Later, Fela called me to ask me to marry him. I told him
I couldn’t do that because he was still alive. He said if I
refused to marry him that it was going to be over between
both of us. I couldn’t say anything and ever since that
episode, he started fighting me.
When you had this child, did you let the relative know that it
belonged to him?
He knew. He used to come and carry the child. What
transpired between us threw a wedge between us and he
stopped speaking to me.
So Fela’s other wives were right when they said the boy was
not Fela’s son.
They lied because they said the baby belonged to one big-
man in the society. It wasn’t true. The baby did not belong to
him, but to Fela’s relative. I’m not a harlot.
Is the relative aware of this?
I have told him about it. Even I took my son to him during
my last visit.
Did he accept responsibility for the boy?
He told me that he was going to do a DNA test and sue me. I
told him to go ahead and do the DNA test and sue whoever
he wants to sue. I’m ready to go to any level with him. But
nobody should torment me. Right now, I am not allowed to
receive visitors in the house; when my son came the other
day, he was showed the way out of the house.
Who is Mama Mosun?
She is the one they call Najite or Damiregba Anikulapo-Kuti.
She has made herself Fela’s only surviving wife in the house,
whereas she is not.
How old is your son?
He is 33 years old now.
Where is he now?
He is in Lagos.
Who has been funding his education?
My godmother, Mrs. Aduke Bademosi.
Why did it take you so long to make this revelation?
Because I swore on oath to late the Remi Anikulapo-Kuti that
I would not spoil anything for her as long as she was alive.
We had an agreement that I could go ahead and spill it after
her death. She was a great woman and I respect her a lot.
Aren’t you going against your promise to her now?
No. It was her dream to see the relative of Fela and I settle
down as man and wife.
She wanted you to marry Fela’s relative?
Yes, she wanted me to marry Fela’s relative. She used to tell
me that Fela’s relative was very fond of me. She was even
the one that took me to the hospital to save my pregnancy.
She was always there for me.
You abandoned your son, didn’t you?
I did not abandon him.
So what happened?
After Fela named my child, one of the wives poisoned my
baby’s food. Unknown to her, I had seen her do it and I
decided to drop the feeder. Unfortunately, another house
mate mistakenly took the feeder and fed her own baby the
poison and the baby died. That was how I left Fela’s house.
When did you leave Fela’s house?
That was in 1982.
Between 1982 and now, where have you been and what
have you been doing?
Well, I have been in England.
Are you back to Nigeria?
I will say fully because I don’t want to reveal more secret.
Did you come home when Fela died?
Yes, I was here for his burial. That day was very dark.
It’s been more than a decade since Fela died, how do you
keep body and soul together?
It’s by God’s grace.
Do have any plan to remarry?
I will remarry if I see somebody that will love me the way
Fela did.
You haven’t told us your age
I’m 55 years old.
At the time Fela died, there was this rumour that he
died of complications arising from HIV/AIDS infection.
What was your reaction when you heard it?
It was a lie.
When you heard it, were you not afraid?
I wasn’t afraid because I had faith in what I believe in. If he
died of AIDS, how come it did not affect me? Fela had slept
with me more than anyone else in that house. I should be
the first person to be infected with HIV/AIDS.
Really?
Yes.
Have you gone for HIV/AIDS test?
I did all the tests in England. There is nothing wrong with
me. I’m healthy. I’m a nurse.
While in England, did you date anyone?
There was Nicholas. Since I came here, I have had other
people, too.
Do you still smoke Indian hemp?
No, I have stopped.