Renowned Nigerian dancer and choreographer Kafayat Oluwatoyin Shafau, popularly known as Kaffy, has shared a harrowing account of her childhood, revealing that her mother once accused her of having an affair with one of her boyfriends and publicly punished her at the age of 13.
Speaking on The Honest Bunch podcast, Kaffy disclosed that after her parents divorced, her mother dated multiple men, whom she and her siblings affectionately called “daddies” due to their longing for a father figure. However, this closeness reportedly triggered deep insecurities in her mother.
“The closer you are to the men, the more she is insecure,” Kaffy said.
She recounted a particularly traumatic incident where her mother stripped her naked and flogged her in the living room after misinterpreting an innocent moment. Kaffy had been helping one of her mother’s boyfriends clean blood from his face after he cut himself shaving.
“My mother walked into the room when I was saying, ‘Daddy, see.’ And she misinterpreted what was happening and I was flogged naked in front of everyone,” she revealed.
Also Read: Ibas Pushes Projects Completions as Fubara Eyes Sept 18 Comeback
Kaffy described the experience as emotionally scarring, saying it planted seeds of insecurity and confusion that she carried into adulthood.
“You are thinking, ‘But that’s my mother… Why would my mother even think that of me, the daughter?’ That transfer of insecurity from mother to child is done subliminally, but it has its own effect.”
Despite the trauma, Kaffy said the experience fueled her determination to break free from emotional abuse and blackmail, ultimately shaping her into the resilient woman she is today.
Her story has sparked widespread conversation online, with many praising her courage and vulnerability in confronting painful memories.
