Notes

Fela: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
Fela Kuti

The life of Fela is full of contradictions, and that's part of what makes him so fascinating. People who love him can overlook his shortcomings.

His songs often run for up to 20 minutes, and are performed in dense, almost incomprehensible Pidgin English. His music is inspired by Christian hymns and jazz, classical music Yoruba singing, and horn-andguitar heavy highlife.


He was a musician

Fela Kuti embodied that music can be a tool to transform the world. His music was used to advocate for political, social and economic change. His influence is still present today. Afrobeat is a style of music that combines African and Western influences. Its roots lie in West-African hip-life music and funk, but it has since developed into its own genre.

His political activism was fierce and fearless. He used his music as a protest against corruption by the government and human rights violations. Songs such as "Zombie" and "Coffin for the Head of State" were provocative criticisms of the Nigerian regime. He also used Kalakuta as a venue to connect with like-minded individuals and to promote political activism.

The play features a huge portrait featuring his late mother Funmilayo ransome-Kuti. She was a prominent feminist and activist. She is played by actress Shantel Cribbs, who has successfully depicted her importance in the life of Fela. The play also focuses on her political involvement. Despite her declining health, she refused to be tested for AIDS. Instead she opted for traditional treatments.

He was a singer

Fela Ransome-Kuti was a multifaceted man who used his music to facilitate political change. He is credited with being the creator of afrobeat, an energetic mix of funk, dirty and traditional African rhythms. He was also a relentless critic of Nigeria's governmental and religious leaders.

His mother was a suffragist against colonialism So it's not surprising that he has a passion for social commentary and politics. His parents wanted him to become a physician but he had different plans.

While he started in a more political highlife fashion, a trip in America could alter his perspective forever. The exposure to Black power movements and leaders like Malcolm X and Eldridge Cleaver would have a profound impact on his music. He adopted a Pan-Africanism philosophy, which would influence and inform 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 activist movement known as the Movement of the People, and to write songs that reflected his ideas on black and political consciousness. His philosophy was expressed publicly through yabis, a form of public speaking that he called "freedom expression". He also began to establish an uncompromising code of ethics for his group, which included refusing to receive medicine from Western-trained doctors.

Fela returned to Nigeria and began building his own club in Ikeja. Raids from police and military officials were all the time. His Mosholashi-Idi Oro hangers repopulated the area surrounding the club with hard drug particularly "bana" and "yamuna" (heroin). Despite fela lawsuit settlements maintained an uncompromising integrity. His music demonstrates the determination with which he fought authority and demanded that popular ambitions be reflected in official goals. It is a remarkable legacy that will endure for generations to be.

He was a poet

Fela's music used sarcasm and humor to bring attention to economic and political issues in Nigeria. He also snarkily mocked his audience, government officials, and even himself. In these shows, he referred to himself as "the big dick in the little pond." These jokes were not taken lightly by the authorities and he suffered repeated arrests, imprisonments and beatings at the hands of 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 zombies who were able to follow orders without hesitation. The military was offended by this and seized Kalakuta Republic. They burned the place down and beat its inhabitants. During the raid, Fela’s mother was thrown out of her second-floor by the window.

In the years after Nigeria's independence, Fela created Afrobeat, an genre of music that blended jazz with native African rhythm. His songs criticized European cultural imperialism, and he favored traditional African traditions and religions. He also criticized fellow Africans for betraying their country's traditions. He also stressed the importance of human rights and freedom.

He was an artist of hip-hop.

Fela Anikulapo Kuti, trumpeter and saxophonist was born in Abeokuta in 1938. He is a pioneer in Afrobeat music. He was inspired by jazz, rock, and roll as well as traditional African music, 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 were influential in his work.

Fela's music was a political instrument after his return to Nigeria. 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 rights abuses. He was frequently detained for his criticism of the military.

Fela also advocated for the use of marijuana, known as "igbo" in Africa. He frequently held public discussions at Afrika Shrine, also known as "yabis" where he would ridicule officials of the government and share his beliefs about freedom of expression and the beauty of women's bodies. Fela also had an entourage of women in his youth, who danced at his shows and served as vocal backups for him.

He was a dancer

Fela was a master of musical fusion. He incorporated elements of jazz, beat music, and highlife to create his own distinctive style. He was a renowned African musician and a vocal critic of colonial ruling.

Fela refused to leave, despite being tortured and arrested by the Nigerian military junta, as well as witnessing the murder of his mother. He died of complications due to AIDS in 1997.

Fela was a prominent political activist who opposed the oppressive Nigerian Government and supported the ideals of Pan Africanism. His albums such as 1973's Gentleman, focused on fighting oppression from both colonial and government parties. He also emphasized black power and criticised Christianity and Islam as non-African imports, which have been used to divide the people of Africa. The title track on an album released in 1978, Shuffering and Shmiling, describes the over-crammed public busses full of poor people "shuffering and smiling." Fela was a fierce opponent of religious hypocrisy. His dancers were an excellent match for 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 was a militant who used music to challenge unjust authority. He transformed his knowledge of American jazz and funk to African styles and rhythms making an ear that was ready for a fight. Most of his songs begin as slow-burning instrumentals. He layers notes, riffs and other elements until they explode with urgency.

Unlike many artists, who were hesitant to publicly discuss their political views, Fela was fearless and unbending. He stood up for what 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 a protestant minister and the president of the teachers union.

He also founded Kalakuta Republic - a recording studio and commune that became an emblem of the resistance. The government seized the commune, degrading the property and injuring Fela badly. He refused to give up, however and continued to speak against the government. He passed away 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 viewed by many as a form of political protest. Artists use lyrics to call for a change. But some of the most effective music-related protests do not use words at all. Fela Kuti was one of them, and his music is still ringing out to this day. He was the first to pioneer Afrobeat that combines traditional African harmonies and rhythms with jazz and funk, in the style of artists like James Brown.

Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Fela's maternal grandmother, was an activist and unionist who fought 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 is carrying on his father's legacy with a group dubbed Egypt 80. The band will be touring the globe this year. The Egyptian 80's music blends the sounds of Fela with a scathing denunciation of the power structures that exist in the present. Black Times will be released by the end of March. A large number of fans attended the funeral and paid their tributes at Tafawa Balewa Square. The crowd was so big that police were forced to shut down the entrance to the venue.

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