In celebration of Women’s History Month which houses the momentous occasion of Mother’s Day, Vanessa Obioha and Iyke Bede delve into the careers of five Nigerian entertainers whose artistic journeys have been shaped by the support and influence of their mothers.
Fela and Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti
At the peak of his career, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, creator of Afrobeat, played four shows every week at his performance theatre, Afrikan Shrine: There was Sunday Jump and Ladies Night on Tuesdays. The weekend started with a banger on Friday night. But Fela’s mother of shows was on Saturday tagged, ‘Comprehensive Show.’
Saturday was when Fela showcased his art with his spirituality. During the course of the night, he would enter a session of ancestral worship involving the slaughter of a chicken, libation and other routines of sorcery. His tabernacle featured among other items, images of his admired Afrocentric thinkers; the likes of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and Thomas Sankara.
His mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti had a special place. The high point of this esoteric moment was when Fela would return on stage having consulted his deities. Then he would begin to prophesy. Of course, he preceded every utterance with the statement, “My Mama say,” suggesting that his spiritual conduit to the supernatural was his mother. Such was the strong connection between Fela and his mother that even death could not separate them.
Burna Boy and Bose Ogulu
Burna Boy’s rise to the summit of the global music charts is unsurprising, given the ‘Gbona’ singer’s deep musical roots connected to his family. His grandfather was a renowned music critic and manager of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. His mother, Bose Ogulu was a former dancer of the Afrobeat legend.
From an early age, Bose noted the potential her son possessed, prompting her to step in and manage him full-time. She acknowledged being the constant force nudging her son to reach his limits.
“I admire the diligence, the hard work but he’s still a work in progress. There are many more milestones to attain. We need to not just step down and look at what we’ve done, but keep doing more,” she said to BBC’s Nyasha Michelle during an interview.
D’banj and Faith Oyebanjo
Until recently, the role Faith Oyebanjo played in D’banj’s career was concealed from the media. In a recent interview with media personality Daddy Freeze, former Mo’Hits label mate Ikechukwu Onunaku, professionally known as Ikechukwu, revealed that the singer’s mother took decisions at the label, describing her involvement with the label as “spiritually part of Mo’Hits,” assenting to every action, including financial ones.
Clarence Peters and Clarion Chukwura
The story of video director Clarence Peters began with a spark between two love birds, Clarion Chukwura and Afro-juju legend Shina Peters in the early ‘80s, after which they separated, leaving Chukwura a single mother struggling to complete her university education and finding a footing in the film industry.
Groomed by his mother, today Clarence is one of the most sought-after directors in the music industry for his creative approach to bringing to life the visions of artistes.
Zicsaloma and Mrs Isaac
Starting his career as a crossdressing skit maker and singer didn’t sit well with Aloma Isaac’s (Zicsaloma) siblings. According to him, he was greatly discouraged from pursuing his career.
“It was only my mum that supported me. I remember when I was supposed to go to a competition in South Africa (The Voice), I was supposed to go with two family and friends. I took my mum. Naturally, I am supposed to carry my siblings, but because none of them have ever supported me, I went with my friends,” Zicsaloma revealed to media personality, Chude Jideonwo
