Fela Kuti
Fela's life is full of contradictions, which is part of what makes him so captivating. People who love him accept the flaws in him.
His songs are often longer than 20 minutes, and sung in a dense Pidgin English that is almost incomprehensible. 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 can be an instrument of change. His music was used to argue for political, social and economic change. His influence is felt even today. Afrobeat is a style of music that combines 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 ferocious and unflinching. He made use of his music to protest against corruption in the government and human right abuses. Songs like "Zombie" and "Coffin for the Head of State" were provocative critiques of the Nigerian regime. He also made his home, Kalakuta Republic, as an enclave for political activism as well as an area for gathering with like-minded individuals.
The play includes a large portrait of his late mother Funmilayo ransome-Kuti. She was a renowned feminist and activist. Shantel Cribbs plays her, and she does an excellent job of expressing her significance in the life of Fela. The play also focuses her political activism. Despite her deteriorating condition, she refused to undergo tests for AIDS. Instead she took traditional treatment.
He was a singer
Fela Ransome Kuti was a complex person who used music to effect changes in the political landscape. He is famous for his work on Afrobeat, a mix of funk and dirty African rhythms. He was a vocal critic of Nigeria's religious and political leaders.
Having been raised by an anti-colonial suffragist mom and a feminist father, it's not a surprise that Fela was a fan of political and social commentary. His parents wanted him to be a physician, but he had different plans.
While he started in a more apolitical, highlife vein, a trip to America changed his outlook forever. The exposure to Black power movements and leaders like Malcolm X and Eldridge Cleaver had a profound effect on his music. He adopted a Pan-Africanism ideology that would guide and inform 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 activist movement known as the Movement of the People, and to write songs that reflected his ideas about black activism and political consciousness. His philosophies were publicly expressed through yabis, a form of public speaking he called "freedom expression". He also began imposing an ethical code of conduct on his band. This included refusing to accept prescriptions from Western-trained physicians.
After his return to Nigeria Fela began building his own club, the Shrine in Ikeja. The raids by officers and police were almost daily. His hangers-on from Mosholashi-Idi-Oro repopulated the area around the club with hard drugs, including the 'yamuna' and 'bana' (heroin). Despite this Fela maintained an uncompromising integrity. His music demonstrates the determination with which he challenged authority and demanded that the desires of the masses be reflected in official goals. It is an influence that will last for generations.
fela accident attorney was a poet
In his music, Fela used light-hearted sarcasm to draw attention to political and economic issues in Nigeria. He also poked fun at his audience, the government, and even himself. During these shows, he would refer to himself as "the big dick in the little pond." These jokes were not viewed lightly by the authorities and he was frequently arrested and beatings in the hands of the authorities. He was eventually given the name Anikulapo, which means "he carries his death in his bag."
In 1977, Fela released a song called "Zombie" in which he compared soldiers with blind zombies who obeyed orders without any question. This offended the military who seized the Kalakuta Republic, burning it down and beating its occupants. In the course of the raid, the mother of Fela was thrown from her second-floor window.
Fela developed Afrobeat in the years that followed the nation's independence. Afrobeat is a music genre that combines jazz with indigenous African rhythm. His songs criticized European culture imperialism and supported African traditional religions and cultures. He also criticized fellow Africans for disrespecting the traditions of their homeland. He emphasized the importance of human rights and freedom.
He was a hip-hop artist
A trumpeter, saxophonist and composer and pioneer of the Afrobeat genre, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was born in 1938 in Abeokuta, Nigeria. He grew up with jazz music, rock and roll and traditional African music and chants which helped shape his unique style of music. After a visit to the United States, Fela met Sandra Smith. She was an activist in the Black Power Movement. Her ideas influenced his work.
Upon his return to Nigeria, Fela began using his music as a tool for political purposes. He was critical of the government in his country of birth and argued that African culture should not be submerged by Western sensibilities. He also wrote about social injustices and human right violations. He was frequently detained for his criticism of the military.
Fela also sporadically advocated for the use of marijuana, referred to as "igbo" in Africa. He also held "yabis" (public discussions) at Afrika Shrine where he would ridicule government officials and express his views on the freedom of expression as well as the beauty of women's bodies. Fela also had a harem of young women who danced at his shows and served as vocal backups for him.
He was a dancer
Fela was a master of musical fusion, combining elements from jazz, beat music, and highlife to create his own distinct style. He influenced generations of African musicians and was an outspoken critic of colonial rule.
Fela refused, despite being 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 an activist for the political cause who was a critic of the oppressive Nigerian government and believed in the principles of Pan Africanism. His albums, such as 1973's Gentleman focused on the oppression of both government and colonial forces. He also advocated black power and decried Christianity, Islam and other non-African influences for dividing the people of Africa. Shuffering and Smiling is the title track from an album from 1978. It describes crowded public transports filled with working poor people, "shuffering and smiling". Fela was a fierce enemy of religious hypocrisy. Fela's dancers were also a great complement to his music. They were vivacious, sensual, and elegant. Their contributions were as significant as Fela’s words.
He was a political militant
Fela Kuti was an activist who utilized music to challenge unjust authority. He made use of his knowledge of American funk and jazz toward African patterns and rhythms, creating music that is ready for battle. Most of his songs begin with slow-burning instrumentals. He layers little melodies, riffs, long-lined melodies and other elements until they explode with urgency.
Unlike many artists, who were hesitant to expose their political beliefs, Fela was fearless and uncompromising. He stood in the cause he believed in even when it was risky. His mother, Funmilayo Runsome-Kuti, was an avowed feminist who was the leader of the Nigerian Women's Movement. His father was both a protestant minister, and the president of the teachers union.
He also founded Kalakuta Republic - a recording studio and commune that grew into a symbol of the resistance. The government raided Kalakuta Republic which destroyed property and injured Fela. He refused to give up, though and continued to speak out against the government. He died in 1997 from complications caused by AIDS. His son Femi continues to carry on his legacy of music and politics.
He was a father
Music is often viewed by many as a political action. Musicians use lyrics to call for change. But some of the most powerful music-related protests don't rely on words in any way. Fela Kuti is among the artists mentioned above and his music is heard today. He pioneered Afrobeat which combines traditional African rhythms and harmonies with jazz and funk, inspired by artists like James Brown.
Fela's mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was a militant and unionist who was a fighter against colonialism. She helped form the Abeokuta Women's Union and fought against gender-discriminatory taxation laws. She also studied marxism and believed in a Nigeria that was serving its all of its citizens.
Seun Fela's Son continues to carry the legacy of his father with a group dubbed Egypt 80. The band is touring the world in this year. The Egyptian 80's music blends the sounds of Fela with a scathing denunciation of power structures that still exist in the present. The new album, Black Times, will be released in March. Thousands of fans paid their respects at the funeral at Tafawa Balewa square. The crowd was so huge that police had to block the entrance.