Fela Kuti
The life of Fela is full of contradictions, and that's part of what makes him so captivating. People who love him will accept his flaws.
His songs can last longer than 20 minutes and are sung in dense, almost incomprehensible Pidgin English. His music is influenced by Christian hymns and classical music. He also incorporates jazz, Yoruba, and highlife with horns and guitars.
He was a musician
Fela Kuti embodied the idea that music can be an instrument for change. He used his music to advocate for social and political changes and his influence is evident in the world of even today. His style of music, Afrobeat, is a combination of African and Western influences. Its roots are in West-African music and funk. However, it has evolved into a completely new genre.
His political activism was ferocious and unflinching. He made use of his music to protest against corruption by the government and human rights violations. Songs such as "Zombie" and "Coffin for the Head of State" were bold critiques of the Nigerian regime. He also made use of Kalakuta as a platform to gather like-minded people and to promote political activism.
The production includes a massive portrait of his late mother Funmilayo ransome-Kuti. She was a prominent feminist and activist. Shantel Cribbs portrays her, and she does a fantastic job of capturing the importance she played in the life of Fela. The play also focuses her political activism. Despite her declining health she was unable to get tested for AIDS and instead chose traditional medicine.
He was a singer
Fela Ransome Kuti was a multifaceted person who utilized music to bring about political change. He is credited with being the creator of afrobeat. It was an invigorating hybrid of funk and traditional African rhythms. He was a fervent critic of Nigeria's governmental and religious leaders.
Fela's mother was a suffragist against colonialism and it's not unusual that he is a fan for political commentaries and social commentary. His parents had hoped that he would be a doctor, but there were other goals for him.
While he began in a more political highlife fashion, a trip in America changed his outlook forever. Exposure to Black power movements and the leaders such as Malcolm X and Eldridge Cleaver would have a profound impact on his music. He adopted a Pan-Africanism ethos, which would guide and inform his later work.
He was a music producer
While in the United States Fela was introduced to Black Power activists such as Stokely Carmichael and Malcolm X. This led him to form an activist group known as the Movement of the People and compose songs that reflected the ideas he had about political activism and black awareness. His philosophies were publicly expressed by yabis - a type of public speaking he called 'freedom expression'. He also began to enforce a strict ethical code for his band, including refusing to receive medication from Western-trained doctors.
After his return to Nigeria Fela began building his own club The Shrine in Ikeja. The frequent raids by officers and police were almost constant. Mosholashi-Idi-Oro's hangers-on repopulated the area surrounding the club with hard drugs, including the 'yamuna' and 'bana' (heroin). Despite this Fela was a man of uncompromising integrity. His music is a testament to the determination with which he fought authority and demanded that the desires of the masses be reflected in official goals. It is an amazing legacy that will last for generations to be.
He was a poet
Fela's music employed sarcasm and humor to bring attention to economic and political issues in Nigeria. He also ridiculed his audience, the government, and himself. During these shows, he referred to himself as "the big fish in the small pond." These jokes were not taken lightly by the authorities and he was repeatedly detained and beatings in the hands of authorities. He was eventually given the title Anikulapo which means "he has his death in his pouch."
In 1977, Fela recorded a song called "Zombie," which compared soldiers to zombies who were able to follow orders without hesitation. This irritated the military who seized the Kalakuta Republic, burning it down and beating its occupants. During the raid, Fela’s mother was thrown from her second-floor apartment by the window.
In the years following Nigeria's independence, Fela created Afrobeat, an genre of music that blended jazz with native African rhythm. His songs criticised European cultural imperialism, and he favored traditional African traditions and religions. He also criticised fellow Africans for betraying the traditions of their homeland. He also stressed the importance of freedom and human rights.
He was a rapper
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 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 influenced his work profoundly.
Upon his return to Nigeria, Fela began using his music as a political tool. He criticized the government of his home country and insisted that African culture should not be submerged by Western sensibilities. He also wrote about societal inequities and human rights violations, and was repeatedly arrested for his criticism of the military.
Fela was also a fervent advocate of marijuana in Africa and is referred to as "igbo". He held "yabis" (public discussions) at the Afrika Shrine where he would ridicule officials of the government and express his views on freedom of expression and beauty of women's body. Fela also had an entourage of young women who performed at his shows and acted as vocal backups to his vocalists.
He was a dancer
Fela was a master of musical fusion, taking elements from beat music, and highlife to create his own distinct style. He influenced a generation African musicians and was an outspoken critic of colonial rule.
Fela refused to leave, despite being detained and tortured by the Nigerian military junta as having witnessed the murder of his mother. He died of complications related to AIDS in 1997.
Fela was a well-known political activist who opposed the oppressive Nigerian Government and supported the ideals of Pan Africanism. His albums, including 1973's Gentleman, focused on fighting oppression from both colonial and government parties. 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 the album released in 1978. It describes overcrowded public buses full of poor workers, "shuffering and smiling". Fela was a fierce anti-religious hypocrisy. The dancers of Fela were an excellent complement to his music. They were sensual, vibrant, and elegant. Their contributions were just as important as Fela's words.
He was a political activist
Fela Kuti used music as a weapon to challenge oppressive authorities. He adapts his knowledge of American jazz and funk to African patterns and rhythms making an ear that was ready for fight. 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.
Fela, unlike many artists who were scared to speak about their politics, was fearless and unbending. He stood in the cause he believed in, even when it was risky. Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was a feminist who was the leader of 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 a symbol of the resistance. The government raided the commune, destroying the property and hurting Fela severely. He refused to give up, however, and continued to speak against the government. fela law firm died of complications from AIDS in 1997. His son Femi continues to carry on his legacy of music and politics.
He was a father
Music is often seen by many as a political act. The lyrics of musicians are used to call for change. But some of the most powerful music-related protests do not use words in any way. Fela Kuti was one of them, and his music continues to ring out to this day. He was the first to pioneer Afrobeat, combining traditional African rhythms and harmonies, with jazz and funk, 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 studied marxism and believed in a Nigeria which served its all of its citizens.
Fela's son Seun continues his father's legacy through the band Egypt 80 that's touring the world this year. The Egypt 80's music combines the sound of Fela with a scathing denunciation of power structures that still exist today. Black Times will be released by the end of March. Many fans attended the funeral and paid their respects in Tafawa Balewa Square. The crowd was so big that police had to block the entrance.