Fela Kuti
The life of Fela is full of contradictions, which is part of what makes him so captivating. People who love him can overlook his shortcomings.
His songs can last up to 20 minutes, and are sung in a dense, almost unintelligible Pidgin English. His music is inspired by Christian hymns and classical music, jazz, Yoruba singing, and horn-andguitar heavy highlife.
He was a musician
Fela Kuti embodied the idea that music is an instrument of change. His music was used to argue for social, political and economic changes. His influence is still evident to this day. Afrobeat is a form of music that blends African and Western influences. Its roots are in West-African and funk. However it has evolved into a brand new genre.
His political activism was intense and he took action without fear. He utilized his music as a protest against corruption in the government and human rights violations. Songs like "Zombie", "Coffin for the State Head" and others were bold criticisms of Nigeria's dictatorship. He also made use of Kalakuta as a place to gather like-minded people and to encourage political activism.
The production includes a massive portrait featuring his late mother Funmilayo ransome-Kuti. She was a well-known feminist and activist. The actress who portrays her is Shantel Cribbs who has successfully communicated her importance in the life of Fela. The play also highlights on her political involvement. Despite her condition deteriorating she refused to undergo tests for AIDS. Instead she opted for traditional medicine.
He was a singer
Fela Ransome Kuti was a complex person who used music to effect changes in the political landscape. fela railroad accident lawyer is known for creating Afrobeat, a mix of funk and dirty African rhythms. He was also a fervent critic of Nigeria's governmental and religious leaders.
Being raised by an anti-colonial feminist mother and a feminist father, it's not a surprise that Fela was interested in politics and social commentary. His parents wanted him to be a physician however, he had other plans.
While he started in a more apolitical highlife style, a trip to America could alter his perspective forever. His music was profoundly inspired by his exposure to Black Power movements and leaders like Eldridge Clever and Malcolm X. He adopted a Pan-Africanism ethos, which would inform and guide his later work.
He was a songwriter
While in the United States Fela was introduced to Black Power activists like Stokely Carmichael and Malcolm X. The experience inspired him to start an organization called the Movement of the People and create songs that expressed the ideas that he held about political activism and black awareness. His ideas were expressed publicly by yabis - a type of public speaking he called 'freedom expression'. He also started to impose an ethical code of conduct on his band. This included refusing to take medication from Western-trained doctors.
Fela returned to Nigeria and started building his own club in Ikeja. Police and military officials were almost all the time. His Mosholashi-Idi Oro hangers were able to repopulate the area around the club with hard drugs, especially "bana" and "yamuna" (heroin). Fela was a steadfast person in spite of this. His music is a testimony to his determination to challenge authority and demanding that the popular goals are reflected in official goals. It is an influence that will last for generations.
He was a poet
In his music, Fela used light-hearted sarcasm to draw attention to political and economic issues in Nigeria. He also mocked his audience as well as the government and himself. During these shows, he would refer to himself as "the big fish in the small pond." These jokes were not viewed lightly by the authorities and he was repeatedly detained and beatings in the hands of the authorities. He eventually took the name Anikulapo, meaning "he carries death in his pocket."
In 1977, Fela recorded a song called "Zombie," which compared soldiers to mindless zombies that were able to follow orders without hesitation. The military was irritated by this and conducted a raid on Kalakuta Republic. They burned the place down and beat its inhabitants. In the course of the raid, the mother of Fela was thrown out of her second-floor window.
Fela developed Afrobeat during the years that followed the nation's independence. Afrobeat is a music genre that blends jazz with indigenous African rhythm. His songs attacked European culture imperialism and supported African traditional religions and cultures. He also criticized fellow Africans for disrespecting their country's traditions. He emphasized the importance of human rights and freedom.
He was a hip-hop artist
Fela Anikulapo Kuti, trumpeter and saxophonist was born in Abeokuta in 1938. He is a pioneer in Afrobeat music. He grew up with jazz, rock and roll and traditional African music and chants, which helped form his unique style of music. After an excursion to the United States in 1969, Fela met Sandra Smith, an activist from the Black Power movement and her ideas affected his work profoundly.
After his return to Nigeria, Fela began using his music as a political tool. He criticized the government of his home country, and argued against Western sensibilities that affected African culture. He also wrote about social injustices and human right abuses. He was repeatedly detained for his criticism of military.
Fela was also a fervent advocate of marijuana in Africa that is also known as "igbo". He held "yabis" (public discussions) at Afrika Shrine, where he would mock government officials and express his views on the freedom of expression as well as the beauty of women's bodies. Fela also had an entourage of young women, who performed in his shows and acted as vocal backups to his vocalists.
He was a dancer
Fela was a master of musical fusion. He incorporated elements of jazz, beat music, and highlife into his own unique style. He was a leading African musician and vocal critic of colonial ruling.
Fela refused, despite being interrogated and detained by the Nigerian military junta as well having witnessed the murder of his mother. He died of complications related to AIDS in 1997.
Fela was a prominent political activist who criticized the oppressive Nigerian Government and supported the principles Pan Africanism. His albums, including 1973's Gentleman, focused on the issue of oppression by both government bodies and colonial parties. He also promoted black-power and criticized Christianity, Islam and other non-African imports that divide the people of Africa. The title track of a 1978 album, Shuffering and Shmiling, describes the over-crowded public buses packed with workers "shuffering and shmiling." Fela was a fierce opponent of religious hypocrisy. The music of Fela was also complemented by his dancers, who were vibrant elegant, sensual, and beautiful. Their contributions were just as important as Fela's lyrics.
He was a militant in the political arena.
Fela Kuti used music as a tool to challenge unjust authorities. He adapts his knowledge of American jazz and funk to African rhythms and modes making an ear that was ready for fight. The majority of his songs start as slow-burning instrumentals. He layers riffs, long-lined melody lines and other elements until they explode with urgency.
Fela like many artists who were scared to speak about their politics He was adamant and unbending. He stood in his convictions even when it was dangerous to do so. Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was a feminist who led the Nigerian Women's Movement. His father was a protestant minister as well as the head of the teachers' union.
He also created Kalakuta Republic, a commune and recording studio that was a symbol of resistance. The government raided Kalakuta's Republic, destroying property and severely injured Fela. He refused to give up, however, and continued to speak against the government. He passed away in 1997 of complications arising from AIDS. His son Femi continues to carry his musical and political legacy.
He was a father
Music is often viewed as a form of political protest, and musicians use lyrics to demand change. Some of the most powerful music demonstrations aren't performed with words. Fela Kuti is among the artists mentioned above and his music resonates today. He pioneered Afrobeat that combines traditional African harmonies and rhythms with funk and jazz, being influenced by artists such as James Brown.
Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was Fela's activist mother. She was a unionist and fought colonialism. She helped form the Abeokuta Women's Union and fought against gender-discriminatory taxation laws. She also studied Marxism and believed Nigeria should be serving its all citizens.
Seun Fela's Son continues to carry the legacy of his father with the band Egypt 80. The band is touring the world in this year. The band's music is a blend of the sounds and political stances of Fela's time with a searing denunciation of the same power structures that are still in place in the present. Black Times will be released at the end of March. Thousands of fans attended the funeral and paid their tributes at Tafawa Balewa Square. The crowd was so big that police were forced to shut off the entrance to the location.