Fela Kuti
Fela's life is full of contradictions, and that's part of what makes him so fascinating. People who love him will accept his flaws.
His songs typically last 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 can be present in the world today. Afrobeat is a musical style that blends African and Western influences. Its roots are in West-African music as well as funk. However it has evolved into a brand new genre.
His political activism was fierce and fearless. He made use of his music to protest against government corruption and human rights abuses. Songs like "Zombie", "Coffin for the State Head" and others were shrewd critiques of Nigeria's regime. He also used his residence, Kalakuta Republic, as an area for political activism as well as an opportunity to meet people who were like-minded.
The play features a large portrait of his late mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, who was a prominent activist and feminist pioneer. Shantel Cribbs plays her, and she does a great job of capturing the importance she played in Fela's life. The play also explores her political activism. Despite her declining health, she refused to get tested for AIDS and instead chose traditional treatments.
He was a musician
Fela Ransome Kuti was a complex individual who used music to effect changes in the political landscape. He is credited with being the creator of afrobeat, an invigorating hybrid of funk and traditional African rhythms. He was a fervent critic of Nigeria's religious and political leaders.
Having been raised by an anti-colonial feminist mother, it is no surprise that Fela was interested in political and social commentary. fela lawsuits wanted him to be an ophthalmologist but he had different plans.
A trip to America changed his outlook forever. His music was profoundly influenced by his exposure to Black Power movements and the leadership such as Eldridge Clever and Malcolm X. He adopted the Pan-Africanism philosophy, which would inform and guide his later work.
He was a songwriter
Fela met Black Power activists like Stokely Carmichael, and Malcolm X while in the United States. This experience led him to form an activist group known as the Movement of the People and create songs that reflected the ideas that he held about political activism and black awareness. His ideas were expressed publicly by yabis - a type of public speaking he called "freedom expression". He also started to impose an ethical code on his band. This included refusing to accept medication from Western-trained medical professionals.
After his return to Nigeria Fela began building his own club and the Shrine in Ikeja. The police and military officials were all the time. His hangers-on from Mosholashi-Idi-Oro repopulated the area surrounding the club with hard drugs, including the 'yamuna' and 'bana' (heroin). Fela maintained his integrity in spite of this. His music is a testimony to the determination with which he fought authority and demanded that popular ambitions be reflected in official goals. It is an extraordinary legacy that will be remembered for generations to come.
He was a poet
Fela's music used sarcasm and humor to bring attention to economic and political issues in Nigeria. He also ridiculed his audience, the government, and himself. He also referred to himself in these shows as "the big dick on the small pond." The authorities took his jokes lightly and he was often detained and imprisoned. He was also beat by the authorities. He was eventually given the name Anikulapo which means "he is carrying his body in his purse."
In 1977, Fela released a song called "Zombie" in which he compared soldiers to brainless zombies that followed orders without asking questions. The military was offended by the song who seized the Kalakuta Republic, burning it down and beating its occupants. During the raid, Fela’s mother was thrown from her second-floor through a 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 criticized European imperialism in culture and praised African traditional religions and cultures. He also criticized fellow Africans for ignoring their country's traditions. 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 was influenced by rock, jazz, and roll as well as traditional African music as well as 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 impacted his work profoundly.
After his return to Nigeria, Fela began using his music as a political tool. He criticised the government of his native country and also argued against Western sensibilities affecting African culture. He also wrote about societal injustices and human rights abuses and was frequently detained for his criticism of the military.
Fela was also a proponent of marijuana in Africa that is also known as "igbo". He frequently held public discussions at Afrika Shrine, which he referred to as "yabis" where he would ridicule government officials and promote his beliefs about freedom of expression and the beauty of women's bodies. Fela also had a harem of young women who danced at his shows and acted as vocal backups to him.
He was a dancer
Fela was a master of musical fusion. He fused elements of beat music, and highlife into his own distinctive style. He influenced a generation African musicians and was an outspoken critic of colonial rule.
Despite being snatched and tortured by the Nigerian military junta, and witnessing his mother killed, Fela refused to leave the country. He died from complications due to AIDS in 1997.
Fela was a well-known political activist who opposed the oppressive Nigerian Government and endorsed the principles of Pan Africanism. His albums, such as 1973's Gentleman focused on the oppression of both government and colonial forces. He also promoted black power and criticized Christianity and Islam as non-African imports that have been used to divide the people of Africa. Shuffering and Smiling is the title track from an album from 1978. It describes overcrowded public transports filled with poor workers, "shuffering and smiling". Fela was a fierce opponent of religious hypocrisy. Fela's music was also complemented by his dancers, who were lively sensual, regal, and sensual. Their contributions were just as important as Fela's words.
He was an activist in the political arena.
Fela Kuti was an activist who used music to challenge oppressive authority. He adapted his knowledge of American jazz and funk to African rhythms and modes, creating music that was ready for a fight. Most of his songs start as slow instrumentals, gradually adding little riffs and long-lined melodies until they explode in a flash of vigor.
Unlike many artists, who were afraid to speak out about their politics, Fela was fearless and uncompromising. He stood in his convictions even when it was risky to do so. His mother, Funmilayo Runsome-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 raided Kalakuta Republic and destroyed property, as well as injured Fela. He refused to give up, however, and continued to speak against the government. He died from complications of AIDS in 1997. He was succeeded by his son, Femi, who continues to continue his musical and political legacy.
He was a father
Music is often seen by many as a political action. Musicians use lyrics to call for change. Some of the most powerful musical demonstrations are not accompanied by words. Fela Kuti was one such artist, and his music continues to ring out today. He was the first to pioneer Afrobeat which combines traditional African rhythms and harmonies with funk and jazz, inspired by artists like James Brown.
Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was Fela's activist mother. She was a unionist and fought 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 entire population.
Seun, Fela's Son, continues to carry the legacy of his father with a group dubbed Egypt 80. The band will be touring the globe this year. The Egypt 80's music combines the sound of Fela and a scathing critique of the power structures that exist in the present. The album, Black Times, will be released in March. Thousands of fans attended the funeral and paid their tributes at Tafawa Balewa Square. The crowd was so big that the police had to shut down the entrance.