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This Week's Most Popular Stories Concerning Fela
Fela Kuti

Fela is a man of contradictions. That's why he's so fascinating. People who love him will forgive his bad sides.

His songs often run for 20 minutes or more, and are sung in thick, almost incomprehensible Pidgin English. His music is influenced primarily by Christian hymns and classical music. He also includes jazz, Yoruba, and highlife with horns and guitars.

He was a musician

Fela Kuti embodied the idea that music can be an instrument for change. He utilized his music to call for political and social change and his influence is felt in the world in the present. His musical style, 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 intense, and he acted 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 blatant criticisms of Nigeria's government. He also used his residence, Kalakuta Republic, as an enclave for political activism as well as a gathering place for people who were like-minded.

The production features a huge portrait of his mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, who was a well-known activist and feminist pioneer. She is portrayed by actress Shantel Cribbs, who successfully communicated her importance in the life of Fela. The play also explores on her political involvement. Despite her declining health, she refused to undergo tests for AIDS. Instead, she chose traditional treatments.

He was a singer

Fela Ransome Kuti was a complex person who used music to effect changes in the political landscape. He is known as the creator of afrobeat. It was an invigorating blend of dirty funk and traditional African rhythms. He was also a relentless critic of Nigeria's political and religious leaders.

Growing up with an anti-colonial suffragist mother, it is no surprise that Fela had a passion for political and social commentary. His parents had hoped that he would become a doctor, but there were other goals for him.

While he initially sounded in a more apolitical highlife vein, a trip to America could alter his perspective forever. His music was profoundly influenced by his exposure to Black Power movements and leaders such as Eldridge Clever and Malcolm X. He adopted an African-centric philosophy which would guide and inform 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. This experience led him to start an activist group known as the Movement of the People and write songs that reflected the ideas he had about political activism and black awareness. His philosophy was expressed publicly through yabis - a form public speaking he called "freedom expression". He also began to impose an ethical code on his band. This included refusing to take medication from Western-trained doctors.

After returning to Nigeria Fela started building his own club, the Shrine in Ikeja. The raids by military and police officials were almost daily. His Mosholashi-Idi Oro hangers were able to repopulate the area around the club with hard drugs particularly "bana" and "yamuna" (heroin). Fela maintained his integrity in spite of this. His music is a testament to his determination in challenging authority and demanding that popular ambitions are reflected in official goals. It is a legacy that will last 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 mocked his audience as well as the government and himself. He often referred to himself during these shows as "the big dick in the pond with the little fish." The authorities were not taking his jokes lightly, and he was frequently detained and imprisoned. He was also beating by the authorities. He was eventually given the title Anikulapo, which translates to "he is carrying his death in his pouch."

In 1977, Fela released a song called "Zombie" in which he contrasted soldiers with brainless zombies that followed orders without asking questions. This irritated the military, which raided the Kalakuta Republic, burning it down and beating its inhabitants. During the raid, Fela's mother was thrown out of her second-floor window.

In the years following the independence of Nigeria, Fela created Afrobeat, the genre of music that combines jazz and traditional African rhythm. His songs attacked European imperialism in culture and praised African traditional traditions and religions. He also criticized fellow Africans who sabotaged their nation's traditions. He emphasized 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, 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 influenced his work dramatically.

The music of Fela became a political instrument upon his return to Nigeria. He criticised the government of his home country and argued against Western sensibilities affecting African culture. He also wrote about societal injustices and human rights violations, and was repeatedly arrested for his criticism of the military.


Fela also sporadically advocated for the use of marijuana, known as "igbo" in Africa. He often held public debates at Afrika Shrine, which he referred to as "yabis", in which he would ridicule officials of the government and share his views on freedom of expression and the beauty of women's bodies. Fela had Harems, a group of young women who performed at his shows as well as backing his vocally.

He was a dancer

Fela was a master of musical fusion, combining elements from jazz, beat music, and highlife to create his own distinctive style. He influenced a generation African musicians and was a vocal critic of colonial rule.

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

Fela was a well-known political activist who was critical of the oppressive Nigerian Government and endorsed the principles 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. The title track from an album released in 1978, Shuffering and Shmiling, describes the overcrowded public buses filled with poor workers "shuffering and smiling." Accident Injury Lawyers was a staunch opponent of religious hypocrisy. His music was also complemented by his dancers, who were lively, sensual, and regal. Their contributions to the performance were as significant as Fela's words.

He was a militant in the political arena.

Fela Kuti was an activist who used music to challenge unjust authority. He steered his knowledge of American jazz and funk to African styles and rhythms, resulting in music that is ready for a fight. The majority of his songs start with slow-burning instrumentals. He layers little melodies, riffs, long-lined melodies and other elements until they explode with urgency.

Contrary to the majority of artists, who were hesitant to expose their political beliefs, Fela was fearless and uncompromising. He stood up for what he believed in, even when it was risky. 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 expression of resistance. The government seized the commune, degrading the property and injured Fela severely. He refused to give up, and continued to speak against the government. He died of complications from AIDS in 1997. His son Femi continues to carry on his musical and political legacy.

He was a father

Music is often seen by many as a political action. 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 founder of Afrobeat music, which blends traditional African rhythms and harmony with jazz and hip-hop and was 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 the entire population.

Seun, Fela's Son, is carrying the legacy of his father through a band named 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 today. The album, Black Times, will be released in March. A large number of fans attended the funeral and paid their respects in Tafawa Balewa Square. The crowd was so big that police had to shut down the entrance to the venue.

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