Yeni Kuti, the daughter of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, the famous afrobeat pioneer, admits that it was her uncle’s decision to proclaim her father’s death from AIDS.
According to Yeni, her uncle, Dr. Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, officially claimed that their late father died of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
Yeni claimed in a recent interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo that after much coaxing from other family members, they eventually agreed to allow their uncle make the news.
Yeni Kuti eventually understood that her uncle’s decision was the best one because it definitely put to rest any doubts about the cause of the legendary musician’s death.
In her words;
“Then, I didn’t think the decision by his brother [Dr. Olikoye Ransome Kuti] to announce that he [Fela] died of AIDS was the best.
“I remember we [Fela’s children] had a big fight with my uncle at a time. They had already diagnosed Fela with AIDS at the hospital.
“Uncle Koye wasn’t in town when the diagnosis came. And he came maybe about two days later…Then he called us, Femi, Shola and I, ‘you know what has happened, I’m going to announce to the press that he has AIDS.’
“We said, ‘No, way’. At that time, we still thought Fela would survive. We said, ‘look, it’s not your place to announce that Fela has AIDS, if Fela survives, let him.’ And he said, ‘Okay, you have a point.’
“But then, Fela now died. And he [Dr. Olikoye Ransome-Kuti] said he is going to announce that Fela had AIDS.
“We quarrelled with him. The whole family started talking to us, ‘it’s not good to lie, people are still going to discover.’ So, reluctantly, we agreed.
“But I have to say it now, I think it was the best decision that my uncle made. If he had not announced it, till now they [journalists] will still be doing underground ‘what killed Fela?’”
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