Fela Kuti
Fela is a man with contradictions. That's what makes him so fascinating. People who love him are able to overlook his shortcomings.
His songs often run for 20 minutes or more, and are sung in thick, almost incomprehensible Pidgin English. His music is inspired by Christian hymns, jazz, classical music Yoruba music, chant, and horn-and-guitar heavy highlife.
He was a musician
Fela Kuti embodied that music can be a powerful tool to change the world. He used his music to advocate for changes in the political and social spheres, and his influence is present in the world in the present. His style of music, Afrobeat, is a synthesis of African and Western influences. Its roots are in West-African music as well as funk. However, it has evolved into a completely new genre.
His political activism was intense and he did it without fear. He used his music to protest government corruption and human rights abuses. Songs such as "Zombie", "Coffin for the State Head" and others were shrewd criticisms of Nigeria's dictatorship. He also made use of Kalakuta as a platform to gather like-minded people and to promote political activism.
The play includes a large portrait featuring his mother, who died in the past Funmilayo ransome-Kuti. She was a renowned feminist and activist. Shantel Cribbs portrays her, and she does a great job of expressing her significance in the life of Fela. The play also explores her political activism. Despite her condition deteriorating, she refused to undergo tests for AIDS. Instead, she chose traditional treatment.
He was a singer
The Fela Ransome Kuti was a complex man who employed his music to effect political change. He is renowned for his creation of Afrobeat, a mix of funk and dirty African rhythms. He was also a fervent critic of Nigeria's political and religious leaders.
His mother was a suffragist against colonialism and it's not surprising that he has a love for political commentary and social commentary. His parents wanted him to be medical doctor but he had different plans.
While he started in a more political highlife vein, a trip to America changed his outlook forever. Exposure to Black power movements and leaders like Malcolm X and Eldridge Cleaver would have a profound impact on his music. He embraced an African-centric philosophy that would influence and guide his later work.
He was a writer.
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 to compose songs that reflected his views about black activism and political consciousness. His ideas were expressed publicly through yabis - a form that he described as "freedom 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 started building his own club in Ikeja. Police and military officials were all the time. Mosholashi-Idi-Oro's hangers-on repopulated the area around the club with hard drugs, especially 'bana' and 'yamuna' (heroin). Fela was a steadfast person regardless of this. His music is a testament to his determination to challenge authority and demanding that the popular goals are manifested in official goals. It is an influence that will last for generations.
He was a poet
Fela's music used sarcasm and humor to bring attention to political and economic issues in Nigeria. He also mocked his audience as well as the government and himself. He often referred to himself during these shows as "the big dick in the pond with the little fish." The authorities did not take his jokes lightly and he was repeatedly arrested and detained, as well as beating by the authorities. He was eventually given the title Anikulapo, which translates to "he carries his death in his pouch."
In 1977, Fela recorded a song called "Zombie," which compared soldiers to mindless zombies who followed orders without question. This offended the military who seized the Kalakuta Republic, burning it down and beating its inhabitants. In the course of the raid, Fela's mother was thrown out of her second-floor window.
Fela developed Afrobeat during the years that after Nigeria's independence. Afrobeat is a music genre that blends jazz with the indigenous African rhythm. His songs criticized European cultural imperialism and defended traditional African religions and culture. He also criticized fellow Africans for ignoring their country's tradition. fela claims railroad employees stressed the importance of human rights and freedom.
He was a hip-hop artist
A saxophonist, trumpeter, composer, and pioneer of the Afrobeat genre, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was born in 1938 in Abeokuta, Nigeria. He grew up with jazz and rock and roll, as well as traditional African music and chants, which helped form his style of music. After a trip to the United States in 1969, Fela met Sandra Smith, an activist from the Black Power movement and her ideas affected his work in a profound way.
Fela's music was an instrument of political power upon his return to Nigeria. He criticized the government of his country and argued against Western sensibilities affecting African culture. He also wrote about social inequities and human rights violations and was often detained for his criticism of the military.
Fela also advocated for the use of marijuana, referred to as "igbo" in Africa. He held "yabis" (public discussions) at Afrika Shrine, where he would ridicule government officials and express his views regarding freedom of expression and the beauty of women's bodies. Fela also had a group of women in his youth, who performed at his shows and also served as vocal backups to him.
He was a dancer
Fela was a master at musical fusion. He incorporated elements of beat music, and highlife to create his own distinctive style. He was a leading African musician and vocal critic of colonial rule.
Fela refused to be detained and tortured by the Nigerian military junta as well as witnessing the murder of his mother. He died from complications due to AIDS in 1997.
Fela was a well-known political activist who criticized the oppressive Nigerian Government and endorsed the ideals of Pan Africanism. His albums, including 1973's Gentleman focused on addressing oppression from both government bodies and colonial parties. He also advocated black power and decried Christianity, Islam and other non-African imports that divide the people of Africa. Shuffering and Smiling is the title track of the album released in 1978. It describes overcrowded public buses full of working poor people, "shuffering and smiling". Fela was a fierce anti-religious hypocrisy. The music of Fela was enhanced by his dancers who were lively sensual, regal, and sensual. Their contributions to the performances were as significant as Fela's words.
He was a militant in the political arena.
Fela Kuti was a militant who used music to challenge the unjust authority. He adapts his knowledge of American jazz and funk to African patterns and rhythms making a sound that was ready for fight. Most of his songs begin with slow-burning instrumentals. He layers riffs, long-lined melody lines and other elements until they explode in a blaze of energy.
Fela like many artists who were afraid to discuss their political views was unflinching and uncompromising. He stood for his beliefs even when it was risky to do so. His mother, Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was a fervent feminist who led the Nigerian Women's movement. His father was a protestant minister and the president of the teachers' union.
He also founded Kalakuta Republic - a recording studio and commune that was an emblem of the resistance. The government raided the Kalakuta Republic, destroying property and severely injuring Fela. He refused to back down however and continued to speak out against the government. He passed away in 1997 of complications arising from 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 form of political protest. Artists use lyrics to demand change. Some of the most powerful music demonstrations are not supported by words. Fela Kuti was one such artist and his music still rings out to this day. He was the first to pioneer Afrobeat, combining traditional African rhythms and harmonies, with jazz and funk, being influenced by artists such as James Brown.
Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Fela's maternal grandmother 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 the idea of a Nigeria that served its all of its citizens.
Seun, Fela's Son, continues to carry the legacy of his father through a band named Egypt 80. The band is touring the world in this year. The band's music is a blend of the music and politics of Fela's era with a passionate critique of the same power structures that continue to exist in the present. Black Times will be released at the end March. Many fans attended the funeral and paid respects in Tafawa Balewa Square. The crowd was so big that police were forced to shut off the entrance to the location.