*Buku Abi, the daughter of R. Kelly, is publicly sharing her experiences for the first time regarding the alleged abuse she suffered during her childhood at the hands of her father.
In the new two-part documentary “Karma: A Daughter’s Journey,” which premiered on the TVEI Streaming Network, Abi recounts her painful past, revealing that she first reported the abuse to her mother, Andrea Kelly, in 2009 when she was only 10 years old.
In her emotional remarks in the documentary, the now 26-year-old, born Joann Kelly, reflects on her complicated relationship with her father.
“He was my everything. For a long time, I didn’t even want to believe that it happened. I didn’t know that even if he was a bad person that he would do something to me,” she says in the documentary, the first episode of which is streaming now. “I was too scared to tell anybody. I was too scared to tell my mom.”
These sentiments highlight the confusion and fear that many survivors of childhood abuse experience, emphasizing the difficulty of revealing such trauma.
While Abi does not delve into explicit details regarding the alleged abuse in the first episode, she firmly asserts that her father, now 57, belongs in jail, People reports. Drawing from her own experience, she articulates the profound impact of the abuse on her life:
“I really feel like that one millisecond completely just changed my whole life and changed who I was as a person and changed the sparkle I had and the light I used to carry.”
Following her disclosure to her mother, she and her siblings ceased visiting their father, a move that marked a significant turning point in her life.
The first episode concludes by shedding light on the phenomenon of delayed disclosure, explaining that many victims of child sexual abuse wait years or even decades to share their experiences. The second episode delves deeper into her story, with Abi recalling moments of trauma.
“I just remember waking up to him touching me,” while expressing the torment and helplessness she felt at the time. “I didn’t know what to do, so I just kind of laid there, and I pretended to be asleep,” she adds through tears.
After confiding in her mother, they approached authorities to file a complaint as “Jane Doe.” Unfortunately, she states that, due to the delay in reporting, there was insufficient evidence to prosecute her father, leaving her feeling as though her voice had been silenced.
“At that point in my life, I felt like I said something for nothing,” she reflects.
R. Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, vehemently denied the allegations, pointing out that similar claims made by Kelly’s ex-wife had been investigated by the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services and were found to be unfounded. Bonjean criticized the filmmakers, stating they did not reach out to Kelly or his team to provide an opportunity to address these claims.
Buku Abi, who has previously described her father as a “monster,” notes that it was her experience in public school as a teenager that exposed her to the troubling narratives surrounding her father.
“At home, it’s normal; you’re living a life with your parents – your dad and mom aren’t going to go into all the bad things that might be going on outside of home. But kids in school don’t necessarily care.”
Her realization of her father’s troubled legacy marked another painful chapter in her journey as she navigated her identity in the shadow of his infamy.
As this documentary unveils Buku Abi’s story, it sheds light on the complexities of familial abuse, the challenges of coming forward, and the long-lasting effects such experiences can have on victims.
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