February 20, 1978 African music legend and Afrobeat creator Fela Anikulapo Kuti married 27 women on the same day all of whom were his back up dancers.
History has it tha Fela was able to pull off the feat by putting out a notebook and asking any of the girls who were willing to marry him to write down their names and instantly 27 of them did.
And on February 20th, Fela called Ifa priests (reportedly 12) to join the wives in holy matrimony at the Parisona Hotel in Anthony, Lagos. A handful of the wives married against their parents consent but the wedding ceremony went on nonetheless.
The event was joined by band members, friends and family. Fela placed naira notes on their heads, offered a few words and dished around marriage certificates. He would then engage in a rotating system of having just 12 of them live with him at a particular time. When he first married, he had sex with one, then another, then another till the 27 were complete and then he took them all to Ghana for the honeymoon shortly after.
Another reason why the marriage held was to protect Fela, and his wives, from claims from authorities that Fela was kidnapping the women.
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