Fela Kuti
The life of Fela is full contradictions, which is part of what makes him fascinating. People who love him can forgive his bad sides.
His songs often run for 20 minutes or more, and are sung in a thick, almost incomprehensible Pidgin English. His music is inspired by Christian hymns, classical music, jazz, Yoruba singing, and horn-andguitar heavy highlife.
He was a musician
Fela Kuti embodied that music can be a powerful tool to influence the world. His music was used to call for political, social and economic change. His influence is present even today. Afrobeat is a musical style that combines African and Western influences. Its roots lie in West-African high-life and funk However, it has since evolved into its own style.
His political activism was fierce and frightened. He made use of his music to protest against corruption in the government and human rights abuses. Songs like "Zombie" and "Coffin for the Head of State" were provocative critiques of the Nigerian regime. fela railroad accident lawyer made use of Kalakuta as a venue to gather like-minded people and to promote political activism.
The production features a huge portrait of his mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, who was a prominent activist and feminist pioneer. She is portrayed by actress Shantel Cribbs who has successfully conveyed her significance in the life of Fela. The play also examines her political activism. Despite her declining health she refused to undergo tests for AIDS. Instead she opted for traditional medicine.
He was a musician
Fela Ransome Kuti was a complex person who utilized music to bring about changes in the political landscape. He is credited as the creator of afrobeat. It was an energetic mix of funk and traditional African rhythms. He was a fierce critic of Nigeria's religious and governmental leaders.
Having been raised by an anti-colonial feminist mother, it is no surprise that Fela was interested in social commentary and politics. His parents wanted him to become an ophthalmologist but he had different plans.
While he initially sounded in a more apolitical highlife vein, a trip to America would change his outlook forever. His music was greatly inspired by his exposure to Black Power movements and the leaders like Eldridge Clever and Malcolm X. He adopted a Pan-Africanism ideology, which would inform and guide his later work.
He was a writer.
Fela was introduced to Black Power activists such as Stokely Carmichael, and Malcolm X during his time in the United States. The experience inspired him to form an activist group known as the Movement of the People and write songs that reflected the thoughts that he held about political activism and black awareness. His ideas were expressed through the medium of yabis, which is a form of public speaking is referred to as 'freedom of expression'. He also began to enforce strict moral codes for his group, which included refusing to take medications from doctors trained in the West.
Fela returned to Nigeria and began to build his own club in Ikeja. The police and military officials were all the time. His Mosholashi-Idi Oro hangers were able to repopulate the area around the club with drugs of all kinds, especially "bana" and "yamuna" (heroin). However, Fela maintained an uncompromising integrity. His music is a testament to his determination in challenging authority and ensuring that the desires of the masses are reflected in official goals. It is a legacy that will last for generations.
He was a poet
In his music, Fela used light-hearted sarcasm to discuss political and economic issues in Nigeria. He also snarkily mocked his audience, government officials, and even himself. He referred to himself during these shows as "the big dick on the pond with the little fish." The authorities were not taking his jokes lightly, and he was frequently detained, imprisoned, and beat by the authorities. He was eventually given the name Anikulapo which means "he is carrying his death in his pouch."
In 1977, Fela released a song called "Zombie" in which he compared soldiers with blind zombies who obeyed orders without asking questions. The military was offended by the song, which raided the Kalakuta Republic, burning it down and beating its inhabitants. During the raid, Fela's mother was thrown out of her second-floor through a window.
Fela developed Afrobeat in the decades that followed Nigeria's independence. Afrobeat is a music genre that combines jazz and native African rhythm. His songs attacked European cultural imperialism and defended traditional African religions and culture. He also criticised fellow Africans for betraying their country's tradition. He also stressed 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 of Afrobeat music. He was inspired by rock, jazz, and roll and also traditional African music, chants, and music. After his trip to the United States in 1969, Fela met Sandra Smith, an activist from the Black Power movement and her ideas influenced his work in a profound way.
Fela's music was a political instrument after his return to Nigeria. He criticized the government in his home country and argued that African culture should not be diluted by Western sensibilities. He also wrote about societal injustices and human rights abuses and was often detained for his criticism of the military.
Fela also sporadically advocated for the use of marijuana, referred to as "igbo" in Africa. He frequently held public discussions at Afrika Shrine, also known as "yabis" which was where he would lampoon government officials and spread his beliefs on freedom of expression and the beauty of women's bodies. Fela had a harem, which was a group of women who performed in his shows and backing him vocally.
He was a dancer
Fela was a master of musical fusion, taking elements from beat music and highlife to create his own unique style. He influenced a generation of African musicians and was a vocal critic of colonial rule.
Fela refused to be interrogated and detained by the Nigerian military junta, as well being a witness to the murder of his mother. He died of complications related to AIDS in 1997.
Fela was a well-known political activist who was critical of the oppressive Nigerian Government and supported the principles of Pan Africanism. His albums, including 1973's Gentleman focused on the oppression of both government and colonial political parties. He also advocated black power and criticised Christianity, Islam and other non-African imports for dividing the people of Africa. The title track on the album from 1978, Shuffering and Shmiling, describes the over-crowded public buses filled with poor workers "shuffering and shmiling." Fela was a fierce opponent of religious hypocrisy. His music was enhanced by his dancers who were lively, sensual, and regal. Their contributions to the performance were as important as the words of Fela.
He was a militant in the political arena.
Fela Kuti was an activist who used music to challenge unjust authority. He took his knowledge of American jazz and funk towards African modes and rhythms, resulting in a sound that is braced for battle. Most of his songs begin as simmering instrumentals, slowly adding short-lined melodies and riffs until they explode with a ferocious vigor.
Fela like many artists who were scared to discuss their political beliefs, was fearless and unbending. He stood in the cause he believed in, even when it was risky. His mother, Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, was an avowed feminist who led the Nigerian Women's movement. His father was a protestant minister and the president of the teachers union.
He also established Kalakuta Republic, a commune and recording studio that was an emblem of resistance. The government seized the commune, degrading the property and hurting Fela badly. He refused to relent, though and continued to voice his opinion against the government. He passed away in 1997 due to complications caused by AIDS. He was succeeded by his son, Femi, who continues to continue his musical and political legacy.
He was a father
Music is often thought of as a form of political protest, and musicians use lyrics to call for change. But some of the most effective music-related protests do not use words in any way. Fela Kuti is among the artists mentioned above, and his music still resonates today. He was the pioneer of Afrobeat music, which blends traditional African rhythms and harmony with jazz and hip-hop that was inspired by artists like James Brown.
Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was Fela's activist mother. She was a unionist and opposed colonialism. She helped form the Abeokuta Women's Union and fought against gender-discriminatory taxation laws. She also was a Marxist and believed that Nigeria should serve its whole population.
Fela's son Seun continues his father's legacy, through the band Egypt 80 that's touring the world this year. The band's music blends the sounds and political stances of Fela's era with a searing denunciation of the same power structures that persist today. Black Times will be released at the end March. Thousands of fans attended the funeral held in Tafawa Balewa square. The crowd was so big that police had to shut down the entrance to the venue.