Fela: 10 Things I'd Loved To Know Sooner Fela Kuti

Fela is a man with contradictions. This is what makes him so fascinating. People who love him will forgive his bad sides.

His songs are typically longer than 20 minutes and are performed in a dense Pidgin English that is almost incomprehensible. His music is heavily influenced by Christian hymns, jazz, classical music Yoruba singing, and horn-andguitar heavy highlife.

He was a musician

Fela Kuti embodied that music can be used to change the world. His music was used to call for social, political and economic reforms. His influence is still evident to this day. Afrobeat is a form of music that combines 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 fierce and fearless. He used his music to protest government corruption and human rights abuses. fela lawsuit settlements such as "Zombie", "Coffin for the State Head" and others were shrewd criticisms of Nigeria's dictatorship. 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 play features a large portrait of his late mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, who was a prominent activist and feminist pioneer. Shantel Cribbs portrays her and she does a great job of expressing her significance in Fela's life. The play also examines her political activism. Despite her declining health she refused to undergo tests for AIDS. Instead she opted for traditional treatments.

He was a singer

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

Having been raised by an anti-colonial suffragist mom, it is no surprise that Fela had a passion for social commentary and politics. His parents believed that he would become a doctor however, there were other goals for him.

While he initially sounded in a more apolitical highlife fashion, a trip in America could alter his perspective forever. The music he composed was greatly inspired by his exposure to Black Power movements and the leadership like Eldridge Clever and Malcolm X. He developed the Pan-Africanism philosophy, 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. This led him to form an activist group known as the Movement of the People and compose songs that reflected the thoughts that he held about political activism and black awareness. His philosophy was expressed publicly through yabis, a form of that he described as "freedom expression". He also began to impose an ethical code of conduct on his band. This included refusing to accept medication from Western-trained doctors.

After returning to Nigeria Fela started building his own club, the Shrine in Ikeja. The snares of officers and police were almost daily. The Mosholashi-Idi Oro hangers-on who he had re the area around the club with hard drugs, particularly the 'yamuna' and 'bana' (heroin). Fela kept his integrity in spite of this. His music is a testimony to his determination to challenge authority and demanding that the popular goals are reflected in official goals. It is an amazing legacy that will last for generations to come.

He was a poet

In his music, Fela used light-hearted sarcasm to discuss political and economic issues in Nigeria. He also mocked his fans, the government, and himself. During these shows, he referred to himself as "the big fish in the small pond." These jokes were not accepted lightly by the authorities and he suffered repeated arrests and beatings in the hands of authorities. He was eventually given the title Anikulapo, which means "he is carrying his death in his bag."

In 1977, Fela released a song called "Zombie" in which he compared soldiers with blind zombies who obeyed orders without any question. The military was irritated by this and raided Kalakuta Republic. They burned the place down and beat its residents. During the raid, Fela’s mother was thrown out of her second-floor apartment through a window.

Fela developed Afrobeat in the decades that followed Nigeria's independence. Afrobeat is a music genre that combines jazz and the indigenous African rhythm. His songs criticized European cultural imperialism and defended African traditional traditions and religions. He also criticized fellow Africans for betraying their country's traditions. He emphasized the importance of human rights and freedom.

He was an artist of hip-hop.

Fela Anikulapo Kuti, a saxophonist and trumpeter, was born in Abeokuta in 1938. He is a pioneer of Afrobeat music. He was heavily influenced by jazz, rock, 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.

Fela's music became a political instrument after his return to Nigeria. He was critical of the government of his home country, and argued against Western sensibilities that affected African culture. He also wrote about social injustices and human right violations. He was repeatedly detained for his criticism of military.

Fela also advocated for the use of marijuana, known as "igbo" in Africa. He also held "yabis" (public discussions) at the Afrika Shrine, where he would ridicule government officials and express his views on the freedom of expression as well as the beauty of women's bodies. Fela also had a group of young women, who danced at his shows and served as vocal backups for his vocalists.

He was a dancer

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

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

Fela was an activist in the political arena who was a critic of the oppressive Nigerian government and supported the principles of Pan Africanism. His albums, including 1973's Gentleman focused on addressing oppression from both government bodies and colonial parties. He also promoted black power and criticized Christianity and Islam as non-African influenced religions that were used to divide the people of Africa. The title track on an album released in 1978, Shuffering and Shmiling, describes the overcrowded public buses full of poor people "shuffering and shmiling." Fela was a fierce opponent of religious hypocrisy. Fela's music was in turn complemented by his dancers who were lively sensual, regal, and sensual. Their contributions were just as important as Fela's words.


He was a militant in the political arena.

Fela Kuti utilized music as a tool to challenge unjust authorities. He took his knowledge of American jazz and funk to African patterns and rhythms, resulting in a sound that is braced for battle. The majority of his songs begin as slow instrumentals, gradually adding short-lined melodies and riffs until they burst with urgency.

Fela, unlike many artists who were afraid to speak about their politics, was fearless and unbending. He stood in the cause he believed in even when it was risky. His mother, Funmilayo Ransome-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 created Kalakuta Republic, a commune and recording studio that was an emblem of resistance. The government raided the commune, destroying the property and hurting Fela badly. He refused to give up, however and continued to speak against the government. He passed away in 1997 due to complications related to 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. Musicians use lyrics to call for a change. Some of the most powerful musical performances are not accompanied by words. Fela Kuti is one these artists, and his music still is heard today. He was the first to pioneer Afrobeat, combining traditional African harmonies and rhythms 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 Nigeria should serve its whole population.

Seun Fela's son is carrying on his father's legacy with a band named Egypt 80. The band will be touring the globe this year. The music of Egypt 80 combines the sounds of Fela and a scathing critique of power structures that still exist today. Black Times will be released at the end March. Thousands of fans attended the funeral and paid respects in Tafawa Balewa Square. The crowd was so large that police were forced to shut down the entrance to the venue.