Fela Kuti
The life of Fela is full contradictions, and that's a large part of what makes him so captivating. People who love him will accept his flaws.
His songs often run for up to 20 minutes, and are sung in thick, almost incomprehensible Pidgin English. His music is influenced by Christian hymns and classical music. He also includes jazz, Yoruba, and highlife with guitars and horns.
He was a musician
Fela Kuti embodied that music can be a tool to transform the world. His music was used to advocate for social, political and economic reforms. His influence can be present today. His style of music, Afrobeat, is a blend of African and Western influences. Its roots are in West-African and funk. However it has evolved into a completely new genre.
His political activism was fierce and he did it without fear. He used his music to speak out against corruption in government and human rights violations. Songs such as "Zombie", "Coffin for the State Head" and others were shrewd criticisms of Nigeria's dictatorship. He also used his residence, Kalakuta Republic, as an area for political activism and an area for gathering with people who were like-minded.
The play includes a large portrait featuring his late mother Funmilayo ransome-Kuti. She was a prominent 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 explores her political activism. Despite her declining health, she refused to be tested for AIDS. Instead she took traditional treatment.
He was a musician
Fela Ransome-Kuti was a multifaceted musician who used his music to effect political change. He is famous for his work on Afrobeat, which is a blend of dirty funk with traditional African rhythms. He was a fierce critic of Nigeria's religious and governmental leaders.
Fela's mother was a suffragist who was anti-colonial and it's not unusual that he has a love for political commentaries and social commentary. His parents wanted him to be medical doctor but he had different plans.
A trip to America changed his outlook forever. The music he composed was greatly affected by his exposure to Black Power movements and the leaders like Eldridge Clever and Malcolm X. He adopted a philosophy of Pan-Africanism, which would inform and guide his later work.
He was a songwriter
Fela met Black Power activists such as Stokely Carmichael, and Malcolm X while in the United States. This experience led him to create an organization called the Movement of the People and compose songs that reflected the ideas that he held about political activism and black awareness. His philosophical ideas were aired through the method of yabis, which is an art of public speaking that he dubbed 'freedom of expression'. He also began to impose strict moral codes for his group, which included refusing to receive medication from Western-trained doctors.
Fela returned to Nigeria and began to build his own club in Ikeja. The snares of police and military officials was almost constant. The Mosholashi-Idi Oro hangers-on who he had re the area around the club with hard drugs, particularly the 'yamuna' and 'bana' (heroin). But despite this, Fela maintained an uncompromising integrity. His music is a testimony to the determination with which he fought authority and demanded that the popular will be reflected in official goals. It is an enduring legacy that will endure 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 poked fun at his audience, government officials, and even himself. In these shows, he referred to himself as "the big dick in the pond with a little." These jokes were not accepted lightly by the authorities, and he was frequently arrested and imprisonments, as well as beatings at the hands of authorities. He eventually renamed himself Anikulapo, meaning "he has death in his bag."
In 1977, Fela recorded a song called "Zombie," which compared soldiers to mindless zombies who obeyed orders without hesitation. This irritated the military who seized the Kalakuta Republic, burning it down and beating its occupants. In the course of the raid, Fela's mother was thrown from her second-floor window.
In the decades following the independence of Nigeria, Fela created Afrobeat, the genre of music that combined jazz and native African rhythm. His songs criticised European cultural imperialism and defended African traditional religions and cultures. He also criticized fellow Africans for disrespecting the traditions of their homeland. He stressed the importance of human rights and freedom.
He was a rapper
A saxophonist, trumpeter, composer and pioneer of the Afrobeat genre, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was born in 1938 in Abeokuta, Nigeria. He was heavily influenced by jazz, rock, and roll and also traditional African music as well as chants and music. After a visit to the United States, Fela met Sandra Smith. She was an activist in the Black Power Movement. Her ideas have influenced his work.
When he returned 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 diluted by Western sensibilities. He also wrote about social injustices and human right abuses. He was arrested repeatedly 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, which he referred to as "yabis", in which he would slam 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 at his shows as well as supported him vocally.
He was a dancer
Fela was a master of musical fusion. He incorporated elements of beat music, and highlife to create his own unique style. He was a prominent African musician and a vocal critic of colonial ruling.
fela lawyer refused, despite being interrogated and detained by the Nigerian military junta as having witnessed the murder of his mother. He died in 1997 from AIDS-related complications.
Fela was a political activist who was critical of the oppressive Nigerian government and embraced the principles of Pan Africanism. His albums such as 1973's Gentleman focused on fighting oppression from both government bodies and colonial parties. He also advocated black power and criticized Christianity, Islam and other non-African imports that divide 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 opponent of religious hypocrisy. His dancers were a great complement to his music. They were sensual, vibrant, and regal. Their contributions were as important as Fela's lyrics.
He was an activist for the political cause.
Fela Kuti was an activist who utilized music to challenge the unjust authority. He steered his knowledge of American funk and jazz toward African modes and rhythms, resulting in an edgy sound that was prepared for a fight. The majority of his songs start as slow-burning instrumentals. He layers little riffs, long-lined melody lines and other elements until they explode in a blaze of energy.
Fela was, unlike many artists who were afraid to discuss their political views, was fearless and unbending. He stood in the cause he believed in even when it was risky. Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was a 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 a symbol of resistance. The government raided Kalakuta Republic, destroying property and severely injured Fela. He refused to give up, though and continued to protest against the government. He died of complications from AIDS in 1997. His son Femi continues to carry his political and musical legacy.
He was a father
Music is often seen by many as a political action. Musicians use lyrics to call for change. However, some of the most powerful musical protests don't use words in any way. Fela Kuti is among these artists and his music resonates today. He was the pioneer of Afrobeat music, which combines traditional African rhythms and harmony with hip-hop and jazz, being influenced 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 all citizens.
Seun Fela's son is carrying the legacy of his father with a band named Egypt 80. The band will be touring the globe this year. The band's music combines the sounds and politics of Fela's time with a fervent denial of the same power structures that continue to exist in the present. The album, Black Times, will be released in March. Thousands of fans gathered to pay their respects at the funeral in Tafawa Balewa square. The crowd was so huge that police were forced to block the entrance to the location.