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10 Wrong Answers To Common Fela Questions Do You Know The Right Ones?
Fela Kuti

Fela is a man with contradictions. That's what makes him so intriguing. People who love him are able to overlook his shortcomings.

His songs are usually 20 minutes or more and are sung in a dense Pidgin English that is almost unintelligible. 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 the idea that music is an instrument of change. His music was used to argue for political, social and economic change. His influence is still present today. His style of music, Afrobeat, is a synthesis of African and Western influences. Its roots are in West-African music as well as funk. However it has evolved into a completely new genre.

His political activism was ferocious and unflinching. He used his music as a protest against government corruption and human right abuses. Songs like "Zombie", "Coffin for the State Head" and others were bold critiques of Nigeria's regime. He also referred to Kalakuta as a venue to meet like-minded people and to encourage political activism.

The production includes a massive portrait featuring his mother, who died in the past Funmilayo ransome-Kuti. She was a well-known feminist and activist. The actress who portrays her is Shantel Cribbs who has successfully depicted her importance in the life of Fela. The play also explores on her political involvement. Despite her declining health she was unable to get checked for AIDS and instead chose traditional treatments.

He was a musician

Fela Ransome-Kuti was a complex man who employed his music to effect political change. He is credited as the creator of afrobeat, an energetic mix of funk, dirty and traditional African rhythms. He was a fervent critic of Nigeria's religious and political leaders.

Being raised by an anti-colonial suffragist mother, it is no surprise that Fela was interested in politics and social commentary. His parents wanted him to become medical doctor but he had different plans.

A trip to America changed his life forever. fela lawsuits composed was greatly inspired by his exposure to Black Power movements and leaders like Eldridge Clever and Malcolm X. He adopted a Pan-Africanism ethos, which would influence and inform his later work.

He was a writer

Fela was introduced to Black Power activists like Stokely Carmichael, and Malcolm X while in the United States. The experience inspired him to start an activist movement known as the Movement of the People, and to write songs that reflected his views on black and political consciousness. His ideas were expressed publicly by yabis - a type of public speaking he called 'freedom expression'. He also began to impose a strict ethical code for his group, which included refusing to take medications from doctors trained in the West.

After his return to Nigeria Fela began to build his own club The Shrine in Ikeja. Raids from police and military officials were constant. His Mosholashi-Idi Oro hangers repopulated the area around the club with hard drug particularly "bana" and "yamuna" (heroin). However, Fela kept his integrity unshaken. His music speaks to his determination in challenging authority and demanding that popular ambitions are manifested in official goals. It is a legacy that will last for generations.

He was a poet

Fela's music utilized sarcasm as well as humor to bring attention to economic and political issues in Nigeria. He also snarkily mocked his audience, the government, and even himself. He often referred to himself during these shows as "the big dick in the pond with the little fish." The authorities did not take his jokes lightly, and he was repeatedly arrested and imprisoned. He was also beat by the authorities. He was eventually given the title Anikulapo, which means "he carries his death in his bag."

In 1977, Fela recorded a song called "Zombie," which compared soldiers to zombies who followed orders without question. This irritated the military and they raided the Kalakuta Republic, burning it down and beating its inhabitants. In the course of the raid, Fela's mother was thrown from her second-floor window.

In the decades after Nigeria's independence, Fela created Afrobeat, an genre of music that combines jazz and traditional African rhythm. His songs criticized European cultural imperialism, and he favored traditional African beliefs and cultures. He also criticized fellow Africans for betraying the traditions of their homeland. 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 of Afrobeat music. He grew up with jazz music, rock and roll and traditional African music and chants which helped form his style of music. After a trip to the United States, Fela met Sandra Smith. She was an activist in the Black Power Movement. Her ideas were influential in his work.


Upon his return to Nigeria, Fela began using his music as a political tool. He criticised the government of his country and also argued against Western sensibilities affecting African culture. He also wrote about human rights violations and social injustices. right violations. He was frequently detained for his criticism of military.

Fela was also a proponent of marijuana in Africa that is also known as "igbo". He also held "yabis" (public discussions) at Afrika Shrine where he would ridicule officials of the government and share his opinions on the freedom of expression as well as the beauty of women's bodies. Fela had Harems, an ensemble of young women who performed at his shows, and also supported him vocally.

He was a dancer

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

Despite being tortured and arrested by the Nigerian military junta and witnessing his mother murdered, Fela refused to leave the country. He died of complications due to AIDS in 1997.

Fela was an activist for the political cause who was a critic of the oppressive Nigerian government and supported the principles of Pan Africanism. His albums such as 1973's Gentleman focused on the issue of oppression by both colonial and government parties. He also pushed for black power and decried Christianity and Islam as non-African imports that have been used to divide the people of Africa. The title track from an album released in 1978, Shuffering and Shmiling, describes the overcrowded public buses filled with poor workers "shuffering and shmiling." Fela was a strong opponent of hypocrisy in religion. Fela's music was in turn complemented by his dancers, who were vibrant elegant, sensual, and beautiful. Their contributions to the performances were as important as the words of Fela.

He was an activist for the political cause.

Fela Kuti utilized music as a weapon to challenge unjust authorities. He made use of his knowledge of American funk and jazz toward African patterns and rhythms, creating an edgy sound that was prepared for battle. Most of his songs begin with slow-burning instrumentals. He layers little melodies, riffs, long-lined melodies and other elements until they explode with a sense of urgency.

Fela like many artists who were afraid to discuss their political views He was adamant and unbending. He stood up for his beliefs even when it was dangerous to do so. 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 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 passed away in 1997 of complications arising from AIDS. His son Femi continues to carry his musical and political legacy.

He was a father

Music is often viewed by many as a political act. The lyrics of musicians are used to call for change. Some of the most powerful musical performances are not accompanied by words. Fela Kuti was one such artist, and his music continues to ring out to this day. He was the first to pioneer Afrobeat music, which blends traditional African rhythms and harmony with hip-hop and jazz that was being influenced by artists like James Brown.

Fela's mother, Funmilayo Runsome-Kuti, was an activist and unionist who stood up 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 which served its all of its citizens.

Fela's son Seun is continuing his father's legacy, through the band Egypt 80 that's touring the world this year. The band's music combines the sounds and politics of Fela's time with a searing denunciation of the same power structures that continue to exist in the present. Black Times will be released at the end March. A large number of fans gathered to pay their respects at the funeral at Tafawa Balewa square. The crowd was so huge that police had to block the entrance to the location.

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