Notes

The 10 Most Terrifying Things About Fela
Fela Kuti

The life of Fela is full contradictions, which is part of what makes him so captivating. People who love him can accept his flaws.

His songs are typically longer than 20 minutes, and sung in a slurred Pidgin English that is almost incomprehensible. His music is influenced by Christian hymns and classical music, jazz, Yoruba music, chant, and horn-and-guitar heavy highlife.

He was a musician


Fela Kuti embodied the idea that music is a tool for change. He made use of his music to push for changes in the political and social spheres, and his influence can be felt in the world even today. His style of music, Afrobeat, is a blend of African and Western influences. Its origins lie in West-African high-life and funk, but it has since evolved into its own genre.

His political activism was ferocious and he did it without fear. He used his music as a protest against government corruption and human right abuses. Songs such as "Zombie" and "Coffin for the Head of State" were daring criticisms of the Nigerian regime. He also referred to Kalakuta as a platform to gather like-minded people and to encourage political activism.

The play features a large portrait of his late mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, who was a well-known activist and feminist pioneer. Shantel Cribbs plays her, and she does a fantastic job of expressing her significance in Fela's life. The play also examines her political activism. Despite her deteriorating condition, she refused to undergo tests for AIDS. Instead she opted for traditional medicine.

He was a singer

The Fela Ransome Kuti was a complex musician who used his music to facilitate political change. He is credited as the creator of afrobeat, an invigorating hybrid of funk, dirty and traditional African rhythms. He was also a relentless critic of Nigeria's governmental and religious leaders.

Fela's mother was a suffragist against colonialism and it's not surprising that he is a fan for political commentaries and social commentary. His parents hoped that he would be a doctor, but he had other ideas.

While he initially sounded in a more political highlife vein, a trip to America could alter his perspective forever. Exposure to Black power movements and the leaders like Malcolm X and Eldridge Cleaver would have a profound influence on his music. He embraced a philosophy of Pan-Africanism, that would influence and guide his later work.

He was a writer

While in the United States Fela was introduced to Black Power activists such as Stokely Carmichael and Malcolm X. The experience inspired him to create a political movement called the Movement of the People, and to compose songs that reflected his views about black activism and political consciousness. His philosophical ideas were aired in public via the medium of yabis, which is a form of public speaking that was referred to as 'freedom of expression'. He also began to impose an ethical code of conduct on his band. This included refusing to accept medication from Western-trained medical professionals.

Fela returned to Nigeria and began to build his own club in Ikeja. Police and military officials were constant. His Mosholashi-Idi Oro hangers repopulated the area surrounding the club with hard drugs, especially "bana" and "yamuna" (heroin). Despite this Fela kept his integrity unshaken. His music is a testimony to his determination in challenging authority and demanding that popular ambitions are recognized in official goals. It is an amazing legacy that will last for generations to come.

He was a poet

Fela's music employed sarcasm and humor to draw attention to political and economic issues in Nigeria. He also ridiculed his audience, the government, and himself. He referred to himself during these shows as "the big dick on the small pond." The authorities did not take his jokes lightly, and he was repeatedly arrested, imprisoned, and beaten by the authorities. He was eventually given the name Anikulapo which means "he has his body in his purse."

In 1977, Fela released a song called "Zombie" in which he contrasted soldiers with brainless zombies that followed orders without asking questions. The military was offended by the song, which raided 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 years following Nigeria's independence, Fela created Afrobeat, the genre of music that combines jazz and traditional African rhythm. His songs criticised European cultural imperialism and defended traditional African traditions and religions. He also criticized fellow Africans who violated their country's traditions. He emphasized the importance of freedom and human rights.

He was a hip-hop artist

Fela Anikulapo Kuti, trumpeter and saxophonist, was born in Abeokuta in 1938. He is a pioneer in Afrobeat music. He was inspired by rock, jazz, and roll as well as traditional African music, chants, and music. After a trip to the United States, Fela met Sandra Smith. She was an activist in the Black Power Movement. Her ideas influenced his work.

Upon his return to Nigeria, Fela began using his music as a tool for political purposes. He criticized the government in his home country and argued that African culture should not be submerged by Western sensibilities. He also wrote about social injustices and human right abuses. He was frequently detained for his criticism of the military.

Fela was also a fervent advocate of marijuana in Africa, which is known as "igbo". He often held public discussions at Afrika Shrine, also known as "yabis" where he would lampoon officials of the government and share his beliefs about freedom of expression and the beauty of women's bodies. Fela had a harem, which was a group of women who performed in his shows as well as supported his vocally.

He was a dancer

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

Fela refused to leave, despite being interrogated and detained by the Nigerian military junta as as witnessing the murder of his mother. He died in 1997 from AIDS-related complications.

Fela was a prominent political activist who opposed the oppressive Nigerian Government and endorsed the principles Pan Africanism. His albums, including 1973's Gentleman focused on the oppression of both government and colonial parties. He also advocated black power and criticised Christianity, Islam and other non-African imports that divide the people of Africa. Shuffering and Smiling is the title track of an album from 1978. It is about overcrowded public transports filled with poor workers, "shuffering and smiling". Fela was a fierce anti-religious hypocrisy. Fela's music was also complemented by his dancers who were lively, sensual, and regal. Their contributions to the performance were as significant as the words of Fela.

He was a political activist

Fela Kuti used music as a tool to confront unjust authorities. He adapted his knowledge of American jazz and funk to African rhythms and modes and created a sound that was ready for fight. The majority of his songs begin as slow instrumentals, gradually layering short-lined melodies and riffs until they explode in a flash of vigor.

In contrast to many artists who were afraid to publicly discuss their political views, Fela was fearless and unbending. He stood in the cause he believed in, even when it was risky. Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was a feminist 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 an emblem of the resistance. The government raided the commune, degrading the property and hurting Fela severely. He refused to give up, however and continued to speak against the government. He died in 1997 from complications caused by AIDS. His son Femi continues to carry his musical and political legacy.

He was a father

Music is often seen as a political act, and musicians use lyrics to call for change. However, some of the most effective musical protests don't use words in any way. Fela Kuti is one these artists and his music rings today. He pioneered Afrobeat, combining traditional African harmonies and rhythms 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 was a Marxist and believed that Nigeria should serve its all citizens.

Seun Fela's Son continues to carry the legacy of his father through a group dubbed Egypt 80. The band is touring the world in this year. The band's music combines the music and politics of Fela's time with a passionate critique of the same power structures that are still in place in the present. Black Times will be released at the end of March. Thousands of fans gathered to pay their respects at the funeral held in Tafawa Balewa square. The crowd was so big that police were forced to shut off the entrance to the venue.

Website: https://vimeo.com/708091936