After two decades, one of the widows of the late afro beat legend Laide Anikulapo Kuti has finally opened on the circumstances that led to the death of the late singer cum human right activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti.
Laide during an event Fela and The Kalakuta Queens during the week debunked the widely spread rumor that the late afro beat king died of HIV/AIDS in 1997.
The widow while speaking to newsmen during the event said Fela died of several beatings from soldiers and not from AIDS as reported.
While feeding questions from newsmen the wife of the late singer said “i still wonder what gave them that impression. What killed Fela was the beating he received from soldiers for many years. He was always in pain because of the beatings and that affected his health seriously. I totally disagree that Fela died of AIDS”.
Speaking about the immortalization of the late music icon and human right fighter Laide said “nothing much has being done to immortalize Fela. It is only Bolanle Austin Peters that is doing anything to honor him and his wives. Apart from her, there is no other person doing that. It is only the children that are doing Felabration and they are just doing it for their own pocket; it is not for us. Bolanle is honoring Fela today because she knows and appreciates what Fela stood for. I don’t know how old she was when Fela was alive, but she is still celebrating Fela after 20 years, a time when everybody has forgotten about us. When Bolanle called me and said she wanted to celebrate us, I was like ‘why, who are we?’ May God bless her soul for remembering the women that stood and fought with Fela? Since Fela died we have been completely forgotten. Bolanle really gave us honor.”
