There is no question about his greatness among the greats. The ritual of remembrance tagged Felabration 2021 resurrected Afrobeat phenomenon Fela Anikulapo Kuti. His remains lie in an inventive tomb on the grounds of his former residence on Gbemisola Street, Ikeja, Lagos, which is now Kalakuta Museum, but his spirit soars beyond the restriction of the grave.
The 22nd edition of Felabration in Lagos, October 11 to17, 2021 showed how well the annual festival of music and arts celebrating Fela has evolved. The one-week celebration included a symposium that addressed a timely question, schools debate, art competition and dance competition that highlighted Fela’s legacy through art and dance, and musical concerts.
The thought-provoking symposium addressed an important question, ‘The National Question: Evolution or Devolution?’ It is evident that Nigeria needs to review its federalism in the face of separatist agitations based on systemic imperfections. The Yoruba Nation agitation and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) rebellion, for instance, notably reflect a critical national question that demands an answer.
A lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, who spoke at the event, argued: ”Evolution is a natural process of emergence while devolution speaks to the decentralisation of power and delegating power to lower authorities. These two things are incongruous when it comes to Nigeria because Nigeria is not an evolutionary phenomenon; it is a product of an amorous relationship between the British and their several mistresses in the place called Nigeria and they were all lumped together. You don’t talk about devolution when a country has been stitched together on very clear terms, one of which is the division of power between the Federal Government and the regions.”
Another participant, the Secretary-General of the Lower Niger Congress, Tony Nnadi, argued: ”Let us rule out devolution because you are taking from where there is the power to give to the constituent elements, but in a federation, it is the constituent units that donate the power that goes to the centre. To think that the federal government would give this to states or geopolitical zones is to misunderstand what we are discussing here. The revolution that is the solution to the problem is only taken from the perspective of evolution.”
The debate continues. But it cannot continue forever. The answer to the national question must be found while there is still a nation. It is interesting that this year‘s Felabration theme was “Viva Nigeria Viva Africa,” based on Fela’s 1969 song Viva Nigeria. Recorded in Los Angeles, USA, during the Nigerian Civil War, it presents another side of Fela, different from the fiery fighter.
According to Songfacts, “Although it is written in his trademark Afrobeat style, it is not a typical Fela Kuti song. For one thing, he doesn’t actually sing but talks throughout, calling for peace, love, and the brotherhood of all Africans, especially his fellow Nigerians.” Indeed, Fela biographer Tejumola Olaniyan described it as his “most politically scandalous and compromising composition.”
The composition, which lasts only 3 minutes 45 seconds, is food for thought about the state of the nation today. It calls for unity, but the country is disunited today and its existence is threatened by separationists. What would Fela think about Nigeria’s existence today?
Fela’s AIDS-related death in August 1997, at the age of 58, meant that a critical progressive voice had been silenced. He was not just a musician but a musical icon with a sense of mission. It is a point to ponder how he would have reacted to Nigeria’s renewed democratic experience that began in 1999, about two years after his death. His unapologetic activism on the side of the people was daring and defiant; and he was willing to pay the price for his anti-establishment campaign. Music was indeed a weapon for him, and he used it against the enemies of progress with all the potency of a visionary iconoclast.
Fela’s fight for pro-people governance got him into trouble; he was arrested several times. His residence at Agege Motor Road in Lagos, known as Kalakuta Republic, was burned by hostile soldiers in February 1977.
At the Felabration 2021 symposium, human rights lawyer and activist Femi Falana (SAN) noted Fela’s contribution to reforms in the country. He said: “Fela sang about ‘Sorrow, Tears and Blood,’ which spoke about torture by the police and the military. It was not until 2017 that the Anti-Torture Act was enacted by the National Assembly. Under that law, a police officer who tortures anybody shall be prosecuted and the penalty is 25 years in prison. We must thank Fela for that.”
Falana also observed: “Under the 1963 constitution, the government was not liable for any atrocity it committed against the Kuti family. However, that is no longer the rule. Under section six of the 1999 constitution, the government, whether federal, state and local, can be brought to book and taken to court. I want us to realise that these are reforms instigated by Fela and other forces in Nigeria.”
It was a big positive for Fela’ s spirit when in July 2018 French President Emmanuel Macron visited the New Afrika Shrine at Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos, an unlikely attraction for a visiting president. Regarded as the home of Afrobeat, the Afrika Shrine was originally founded by the late music legend, but was rebuilt at another site and renamed New Afrika Shrine by his son, Femi Kuti, who is also a music star in his own right. The new place is the main Felabration venue every year.
Macron’s historic visit to the nightspot, the first by a president, was the stuff of news. Not surprisingly, stigmatised because of its marijuana-smoking crowd and its hedonistic devotees, the Shrine was a no-go area to leaders until Macron rewrote the narrative.
Recalling his stint as a diplomatic worker in Nigeria in the early 2000s, he said: ”I discovered Nigeria and I discovered Lagos and I discovered the Shrine. This place is an iconic place and it is a place where the best of music is given…the Shrine is a cultural hub… I want to say with a lot of humility that I recognise the importance of this place.”
It was at the New Afrika Shrine that Macron made perhaps his most striking remarks about governance and change during his visit to the country. It was a befitting setting. He observed: ”Let me remind you that this place – Shrine – is a music place as well as politics, which is needed to change society.”
The power of Felabration is its focus on Fela’s fight for sociopolitical change using the power of his internationally acclaimed music.