Some Nigerians on Twitter have called on the Federal Government to properly brand Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s story and legacy in order to increase tourism influx in the country.
News Agency of Nigeria reports that the call came following the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to the New Afrika Shrine, which is a popular Fela ‘museum’.
Fela was a legendary multi-instrumentalist, musician, composer and pioneer of the Afrobeat music genre.
He was also a human rights activist, and political maverick.
The proponents of the branding explained that the late Afrobeats Legend remains an international brand even after death as he piques the interest of music lovers and Human Rights activists alike.
They held the opinion that the Federal Government could generate huge revenues from tourists who would want a structured guide on the life and times of Fela, especially in Lagos.
@Yemitwist tweeted, “No doubt, Fela is enough tourism.”
@Joidbg wrote, “Believe it or not #Fela can generate the ministry of tourism enough income if branded properly… #CelebrateAfricanCulture #MacronAtNewAfrikaShrine”.
@BanksandPhil tweeted, “Nigeria needs to tap into the influence and legacy of the great legend Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Abami Eda is an icon all over the world. This is a tourist attraction Nigeria can benefit from.”
@Iam_realjayson said, “If President Emmanuel Macron could visit the Afrika Shrine in Lagos to #CelebrateAfricanCulture, then truly, we are yet to really understand and appreciate the value of Fela! Pele is considered a National Asset in Brazil. What have we done with Fela? Fela is enough tourism!”
You are greeted with a bold print of “Welkorr: Na De Shrine” as you make your way into the main bowel of the magnificent Nigeria Air Force (NAF) Centre, Abuja.
A larger than life painted picture of Abami Eda himself adorns the centre to the fascination and admiration of Fala’s apostles.
Vehicles of fun lovers spilled over to adjoining roads of Kado area of Abuja due to lack of parking space at the events centre.
The hall was full to capacity with Abuja capital city dwellers. It was indeed, a recreation of Fela at its best.
As if people starved of fun for a long time, music lovers continued to pour into the event centre hours after the command performance had started.
It appeared everybody wanted to catch fun. Nobody wanted to be left out. They were not disappointed at the wrap up of the musical show.
The stage was set on June 9th for the highly rated musical fiesta of Fela and the Kalakuta Queens.
It was another Bolanle Austen-Peters production (BAP), which communication giant, MTN Foundation, joined other corporate organisations to support.
The musical performance chronicles and showcases Fela’s birth, rebirth, activism and marriage to his 27 wives, women who were for all intents and purposes, a source of strength and inspirational support to the Afrobeat creator in the face of constant brutalization, intimidation and even ridicule from the society and government.
It is incontrovertible fact that Fela not only used music as a righteous and powerful weapon against corruption and oppression.
The Afrobeat creator also became an artistic prophet whose music is still very much significant as most of the messages in his songs are relevant till date.
MTN, it was learnt, decided to support the production as part of her continued efforts to promote the advancement of theatre and performing arts in Nigeria.
The MTN Foundation Arts and Culture initiative was launched in 2015 with the hope of facilitating the renaissance of the theatre dimension of arts and culture in Nigeria.
The production is a huge point of pride for MTN Foundation to have past beneficiaries of the MTNF-MUSON Scholarship programme being integral parts of the musical and other great BAP productions.
This further validates the Foundation’s involvement in arts and culture.
The MTN Foundation over the years has sponsored other Bolanle Austen-Peters’ award winning theatre plays like ‘Wakaa, the Musical’ and ‘Saro, the musical’ within and beyond the shores of Nigeria.
Some of Fela’s great hits featured at the musical included
Lady; Water no get enemy; Trouble sleep, yanga go wake am; Beast of no nation;
Shakara oloje; Teacher no teach me nonsense, Zombie.
The tale about how Nigerians beef up security to protect themselves, buy stand-by generator to give them light, construct borehole to provide water and build clinic for medical services, make them members of the Kalakuta Republic.
At the end of the performance, many of those in attendance applauded MTN for organising the events. Like Oliver Twist, they did not fail to ask for more of such star performance in Abuja.
For three decades, renowned illustrator, Lemi Ghariokwu, designed 26 covers of Afro-beat legend, Fela Anukulapo-Kuti’s albums. The self-taught artist in this encounter with Udemma Chukwuma, talks about meeting with Fela, his relationship with him and his life after working with the maverick musician.
“In the beginning was music; I mean, Fela’s music, it became so powerful, but the music needed an accomplishment, it needed visual element to illustrate it, so my art came to play that role,” explained Lemi, who then didn’t know that illustrating Fela’s Roforofo Dance, would forever change his life.
“My meeting Fela was divine and that is where my call to fame is all over the world. I’m known because of that. It’s only Fela and I that have that combination all over the world as deep as the one that we have. That movement was solid. So my destiny is tied with Fela’s. Somebody in New York asked me if I don’t feel uncomfortable like I’m tied to Fela’s shadow forever and I said it’s a good shadow to be tied to; it’s a solid shadow and it’s in 3D” (laughs).
The relationship which lasted for about 30 years started when18-year-old Lemi just graduated from secondary and was planning to study Mechanical Engineering. “How I met Fela wasn’t a chance meeting. Predestination brought us together because we had a role to play together.”
For this reason, he said, “I was able to play that role very effectively and this is why I don’t take our meeting as ordinary happenstance. I take it as destiny because we all come to this world with a purpose and for a purpose. The problem is most people don’t find out who we are; that is why that injunction: ‘know thy self’, is the key. If you can know yourself; self discovery, the rest is history because every role is important and there is no inferior human being.”
Fela’s legacy is still being carried on by Lemi and the icon, even in death, continues to inspire him. “I don’t like the word ‘influenced’,” he corrected, “because people use it in a negative form; like it’s a pervading thing. I believe more in inspiration. The influence is inspirational to me. It helped me to see my own light, which is beautiful.”
He said coming in contact with Fela exposed him. “As docile and timid nature that I had as a child, but the Fela experience got me exposed. He helped me expose myself more. I even told someone recently that na Fela make me dey talk well, well now.”
Responding to why he didn’t go to the university to study art, he said Fela advised him not to. “I was trying to be a mechanical engineer; that was what my father wanted me to study at the university. You know; the typical African mentality, but my talent was very strong. Fela told me that if I go to the university to study art, and because I have to study and pass, I may get lost, lose my originality and my identity if I’m not strong with willpower.
“Fela said: ‘let me tell you people like you are born geniuses. I saw your genius before giving you this chance (to illustrate his album covers). He then said since I could read and write; using himself as an example, that if he didn’t have a strong willpower he won’t have been able to shake off the colonial mentality in the music.”
Speaking further on this, he said, “If people didn’t know Fela’s history, they won’t believe that he went to the University. Because in those days, people look at those who speak pidgin English as school dropouts. Thank God he had this big family background, people would have frustrated him but he discovered himself and said ‘I have to be an African’.”
To him, the “education system that we are running; we are not the ones who set it up. It was the colonialist, the invaders; we should not be calling them the colonial masters; that is a deficit term because they have gotten us brainwashed, we feel inferior, they are not my master and we should put them where they’re supposed to be. They are invaders; they are pirates. These are the people who set up the education system for us. The education system is education for servitude; to make good servants to good slaves and aren’t good slaves in service now?”
He perfected his art by buying books on art. “Fela said I should study and when he said that my spirit agreed with it, but I was then worried because my friends, if I tell them that I’m not going to the university they would say I have gone to smoke hemp with Fela. But my mother was very close to me and she was very supportive. I told her what Fela said. My mother was also a seer so she said she would pray about it. The next day she said no problem that it’s my destiny. That was when I said to hell with everybody and proceeded to buy art books and started reading. My not going to study at the university was a cautious choice. It was based on Fela’s advice. Today I’m very proud to shout it everywhere that I’m self-taught.”
Throughout his career of 44 years, Lemi has been relevant and still creating outstanding works. His feelings about the visual art sector, especially the art market. “The art market is a big industry. It can bring in money than the oil. That is what the white used to survive because they don’t have all the natural resources like us.”
On how to take the sector to the next level, he said: “We are getting there gradually. When the auction started I wasn’t interested. I questioned it because originally the concept of auction would have been works that collectors collected and decided to sell the works through an auction, but you know this new trend. At the auction you can now do new work and sell it at the auction.”
But it’s not supposed to be so? “No. Where I’m coming from every environment needs to have their own cultures.” So this is our culture? “Yes, because it is helping the artists. At least the artist can make a living from it. Then the GDP also because money is coming into that industry regularly. The sector is sustainable that way. There should be more auctions because it will help the industry.”
Fela – Colo Mentality designed by Lemi
Asked if artists are using their works to pass messages or just focusing on making money? “My answer is yes and no. There are some of the artists who are doing art for art’s sake. They say if there is no market for something you may not be able to do it. It is like what is happening in the music scene now, the rubbish lyrics people are enjoying and jumping at. So, the boys are happy to give them that but is this going to progress our society? If people turn down those music, frown at it, and they are not making sales, they will change. But people are encouraging it.
“So, the same thing in the art. If I’m not a strong brand it won’t be easy for me because that is why I keep recreating myself. I try to make my art attractive; I do some to look decorative but I still have the message. I have to be that clever if not; if I come raw with my message, there are a lot of collectors that don’t want to see that. They just want some fantasy, abstract while sipping their Champagne and dreaming on the artwork. They are not interested in the socio-political work. So, there are artists who cater for that and there are lot of them and they make so much money.
“Everybody has to make their own choice. Like I said before, we come to this life with different purposes. If your purpose it to do rubbish, that is your business. I’m playing my own role and I’m happy. I have done this for 44 years. That is an achievement for me and I feel very fulfilled. I’m able to still survive, recreate and still remain relevant now. I’m okay. It’s a good way to die.”
Lemi is concerned about what is happening in the art sector. The craze of fusing all manner of objects together in the name of installation art, “When I see some of the installations I just say it’s colonial mentality that is worrying the artist because they are trying to copy the white. We are confused here. That is why you see some artists pack some things and join them together because some whites are doing it. How does this relate to us? Our environment is different. The way we think should have been different. Our art too should be different. Some artists do art for art’s sake; just to play to the gallery and we in Africa we still have this colonial mentality issue. There are some artworks that I see that is helping the western mannerism.”
He said because “our culture and tradition is deriving from relationship to your environment. You should not be ashamed of your culture. Somebody is trying to confuse you by telling you that your culture is not good because that person wants you to be perpetual slave. The universe has put everyone in their place so that is why cultures need to be different.”
At 62, Lemi is committed to African ideology and is very vibrant in creating artworks. In his studio are works he is creating for upcoming exhibitions. His inspiration he reveals is from the universe. “Graphically, my inspiration is from the society. Everyday movement of the people; interaction, exchange of views and all that. Then, on the global level, I read a lot. I try to know what is happening around the globe. That is how I have survived. Then on Fela, like I told you originally, there is a deliberate reason why we met, so, our destiny crossed for a purpose, and that purpose is to work towards the mental liberation of African people. And because I’m a Pan-Africanist like Fela, very cautious about Africa, about how Africa will be mentally liberated, so it’s a life time work.”
He revealed that his works this year will focus on socio-political issues. “I work every day; I’m creating because I have a vision. I’m doing socio-political works this year because the politics is very vibrant right now in Nigeria. It’s a time for me to show my punch because I have been cold building up gradually. It’s time for me to do some artworks that would be tailored to that. It’s a risk in the commercial sense, but I want to do like half of the works that will be highly political. Then I will still do the ones that make money, it will have the message but subtle. So, that is why I’m doing works that has Fela as the subjects because Fela is one icon that is global now for Nigeria.”
He is still living that legacy, and it is reflected in the artist’s works till date. “There is a market for Fela’s works. A lot of the collectors interestingly are his fans, they will not show it publicly but when they come to my exhibition or the auction they buy,” he said.
Fela and the Kalakuta Queens’, a musical stage play that tells the story of the late Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti and his 27 wives, hit the stage on Sunday, December 10 at Terra Culture, amidst funfair.
The play reflects Fela’s activism and marriage to his 27 wives whom he described as his source of strength and inspirational support amidst constant political intimidation and brutalization
Fela, played by musician-cum actor Laitan Adeniji, took the viewers on a journey of the Abami Eda’s selflessness and loyalty by his Kalakuta Queens, military invasion and brutality and disrespect from the society.
Produced by Bolanle Austin Peters for BAP productions, ‘Fela and the Kalakuta Queens’ is a play that left no stone untouched in the process of telling its story from the costume, stage design and vocal prowess by the actors by depicting Fela’s slangs as used in the Kalakuta compound.
The play gave perfect details of daily activities of the late legend and his backup dancers, who eventually became his legal wives as a result of them being pronounced as prostitutes, a situation which made Fela marry them all on the same day.
Some of the scenes shows how Malaika, a foreign lady who eventually became Fela’s mistress, came in but was sent off by Fela’s wives. They were jealous of her getting much attention from their husband, despite the regular wrestling by the queens on who spends the night in Kalakondo (Fela’s room).
The stage play, however portrays a notion that love for one another was never washed away by hatred; not forgetting the rules of the Kalakuta yard which states that if one is accused of any crime there must be at least one eye witness, else, the case would be overruled.
Songs like Sorrow, Tears and Blood, Zombie, Gentleman, Democrazy, Teacher, Shakara and lots more were performed at the end of each scene to back up the play in a way which gives perfect meaning to the play.
In attendance at the musical stage play were two of the late legend’s wives Lola and Laide.
THIS week’s show is a review of the recently published magazine, Fela Today by Adedayo Akintayo. It centers on the legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti. 20 years after his passing, his name, his music, his legacy lives on.
Presenter: 20 years ago, after a long journey back to my secondary school in Enugu. I was welcomed by my peers asking about the “FE-RRAH” that died in Lagos. I knew little about Fela except some of his album covers owned by my uncle and a certain song by the boys that went “bia ka anyi guzo na ulo nso Fela! 2x Ebe ana eri na ese ****!2x” (come lets go to Fela’s holy home 2x where we can eat and smoke ***!2x)
Guest: Hello sir… My name is Adedayo Akintobi. I am the publisher of a small family of community newspapers named today community newspapers. We serve a number of communities across Lagos mainly llupeju, Ikeja, Agbara and a number of other places.
Presenter: How did Fela-Today come about?
Guest: Well, like the story you told about your secondary school experience, Fela has what we could call one of the largest community of followers in Nigeria and in Africa. So if we call ourselves a community based media house, then Fela need to be one of our constituencies and that results the notion of commemorating the 20th anniversary of his passing in a more substantive way. This year’s Felabration is bigger and grander than previous years because it is a milestone – 20 years. So, we thought it is worthy and deserving to take a deeper look into his life, his times and his music on this milestone.
Presenter: How often do you intend to put out this publication?
Guest: At the moment, this is the first effort and we want to see how the Fela’s larger family or fans or friends or admirers even non-fans would embrace it. A lot of what is recounted in the content of this publication is inside information that sheds a whole new light about what Fela was all about. Acolytes of Fela and Afro-beat would also have so much to gain from this publication. So I would say we will simply take it one step at a time and watch the responses to this effort at commemorating his legacy, and then we would decide how to go further with it.
Presenter: What do you think would be the aftermath of Afro-beat in the next 30 years?
Guest: If today we’re still here talking about Fela, launching a publication about Fela 20 years after his demise, that’s simply to show that his message was relevant and timeless. If it had survived 20 years then it will survive 20 times 20 more years. Yeni kuti; Fela’s daughter said he died a disillusioned man trying to tell us something which to a large part, we turned a deaf ear.
Presenter: When was your first encounter with Fela
Guest: That was the biggest catalyst for trying to do this project. I had an encounter with him even though it was quite fleeting. It was way back in1990, probably those days when you were still in secondary school… Yeah, back in 1990, I lived in Los Angeles, and Fela was in town with his Eqypt 80 band on a world tour. I ran a Limo business which provided Hollywood stars with transportation.
The local promoter of the Fela band approached me for a discount. I was a Fela fan so I didn’t charge. When Abami Eda found out about that, he asked to see me in his hotel room. He arranged backseat passes to his show for me and a couple of friends. In his hotel room he came out characteristically in his underwear! (Everyone burst out laughing) Yeah, and he gave me a big old bear hug! I was actually trying to speak like an American but he said “yeye dey smell!” I simply had to switch to the pidgin I had learnt back here in Nigeria to be able to relate to him. There’s a photograph in the publication that captures that moment in his hotel room.
Although he was just getting made up to go for his performance, we had about a 15-20 minute discussion whereby he asked a lot of questions and he showed a genuine interest in me. What are you doing in America? What are your long term plans? Don’t forget your roots. Don’t forget to contribute your quota to your continent etc. the same way he touched me he touched several other people interpersonally or through his music, leaving an unforgettable memory of himself and therein lies his greatness.
At this point Azuka Jebose calls in from the United States, appreciates the publisher for coming up with such a project and for giving him a chance to be a contributor. Azuka thinks Wizkid should go to Fela’s graveside and apologize for letting people compare him to Fela because he sold out a mere 5000 seat arena. Azuka recalls his days as a young journalist with Punch and his association with Fela. He describes Fela as a movement that chooses to bring about the true nature of Africans. Brilliant, simple and gifted if you sat down to have a conversation, you’d begin to understand the deepness of his commitment to issues of Africa. He challenged the system and called us to action and woke up something in us even though we were scared, but the message continues to spread till date. In other words, don’t judge his lifestyle because it was part of the music. In fact they both complimented each other.
Presenter: Finally Adedayo Akintobi, what are the shortcomings of the proliferation of Fela’s message?
Guest: We have a cultural predisposition to be conformists by the very nature of our culture. We were raised not to question authority and accept things just the way they are. We are a conforming docile accepting type of people. Look at Occupy Nigeria for example, after three or four days, the then president called out the military and next thing everybody scattered.
If Fela was there, what do you think he would do? He would be the last man standing to get battered, bruised and beaten to an inch of his life. But unfortunately there was not one single Fela among us.
Transcript is from Read it, tell it, a 30-minute segment on #Reggae1Drop on Top Radio 90.9FM Lagos. The programme which airs every Sunday by 8pm is anchored by Georg Nakanda and geared towards promoting Nigerian Literature.
We are obviously certain that the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti (just like the late Gani Fawehinmi!) if alive today would have rejected any proposed state award given to him. More so that the Nigerian state has progressively degenerated over the years from the bad (he painfully lived) to the worse (he foresaw) in most important critical success and nation-building factors.
Certainly not with the perennial crisis of governance since independence manifesting in serial revelations of Authority Stealing and shortages of “water, light and food” Fela bemoaned with his legendary saxophone. As a matter of fact, Fela once banned his music being played on federal radio stations (what many artists would see as a badge of honour) in protests against the non-payment of copyrights fees, sheer brutality and oppression of the “military sergeant majors” in the military regimes who ruled (sorry ruined!) the Federal Republic! Very few could be so singularly audacious in damning a perceived oppressive and exploitative state.
Our comradely demand is not just an “honour” for Fela; he never asked for “honour” which he definitely honourably loathed while alive. On the contrary, the demand to genuinely honour Fela is to test our collective claim to good governance, anti-corruption which the Abami Eda gallantly fought against through his artistic patriotism and Pan Africanism. “Blessed are the dead, for they will never be suspected, so declared BM Themba, the great South African poet.
The iconic musician courageously decried corruption and bad governance at a time it was not fashionable to do so. For sure, Fela would never be suspected of any indifference and silence at times that mattered. That in itself was a rare honour. The burden is on those of us living who still lay claim to good governance to walk the great songs of the legend. And one bold step would be to honour a like mind. Our call here is an acid test for those who still believe in the Nigerian project. Fela posthumously truly puts to test our sincerity to build a new Nigeria just as he did while alive.
It is timely and commendable that the Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode unveiled a statue in memory of the iconic musician as part of the weeklong activities marking his 79th posthumous birthday and the 20th anniversary of his death in Lagos at the weekend. Abuja could as well take a cue from Lagos.
President Muhammed Buhari parades three themes: anti-corruption, national security and economic recovery. Nobody had foreseen the current national mess like the Anikulapo- Kuti (The One Who Carries Death in his Quiver!) did. And nobody would be taken seriously who refuses to recognise the great contributions of the legendary Fela to good governance and anti-corruption. He was a workingman who truly lived on his sweat in spite of fashionable sleaze combined with official military terror in Nigeria of the 70s, 80s and 90s. Fela symbolised dignity of labour in a country in which a few members elite thrived on corruption, “authority stealing” and captured Nigerian state’s resources. Fela sang for change, change and change ad infinitum. Nigeria’s search for a desired change remains thematically elusive until Fela’s works are officially recognised. He was truly a global actor in the great traditions of similar artists like South Africa’s Mariam Makeba, Bob Marley, Huge Masakela and Senegal’s Yusuf Ndour among great other artists long recognised by their respective countries. In fact, the reputations of those artists are treated as national moral assets by their nations.
Fela acted locally (downtown Ikeja!) but his thoughts and messages are global in that they resonate in Cape Town, Cairo, New York and London etc.! Even today, 20 years after his death, Fela inspired hope for a strong united Nigeria and economic recovery. In 1974, at the time, it was not fashionable to patronise Africa and even more fashionable to ape Europe and America, Fela’s Buy Africa album rightly warned that prosperity would elude Africa without patronage of its products and ideas by Africans themselves. It was time for government to walk the patriotic songs of Fela through targeted budgetary spending to buy goods that must be produced at home in order to create sustainable jobs for the millions of youths.
We commend Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for signing the Executive Bills compelling the federal ministries and departments to buy made in Nigeria. Over 30 years after Fela created that song Nigeria and indeed Africa had uncritically enlisted in the World Trade Organization (WTO), a club of trading nations, without products to sell but with multiple dumped products to buy. The result today is that Nigeria has become a huge market for dumped products from Europe and China leading to factory closures, unemployment and poverty true to Fela’s foresight and danceable warnings. But Fela in the 70s sang against the background of a productive Nigeria with manufacturing contributing as much as 35 per cent of the industrial manufacturing! Currently it’s business unusual in a cargo/container/smuggler consumptive economy fuelled by oil receipts with manufacturing contributing less than 4% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Will Nigeria (and indeed Africa!) remake and reproduce again, such that we can “buy Nigeria” and “buy Africa” as Fela had prophetically envisioned?
Fela’s Tears, Sorrow and Blood in the late 70s was a danceable lyric which aptly summed up his tragic first-hand “treatment” in the hands of the military tormentors. In retrospect, we could see that singular track as a powerful reminder of the legacy (regular trademark!) of military dictatorship in particular and dictatorships in general including the civilian prototypes. It is far from being over. Just as Fela sang in that historic ode to dictatorship, his people (Nigerians!) are still in “fear to fight for justice, freedom and liberty” such that we were under the heels of majority thieving governors. Sorrow, tears and blood remain regular trademarks from the trails of armed and unarmed robberies to the official and street kidnappers. Follow-Follow is a classical warning against dependency and neo-colonialism. Fela urged that we open “sense, open eye and open brain” as we are susceptible to received wisdom. He observed that in the books of received wisdoms lie “termites, cockroaches and rats” as distinct from the promised sweet outcomes of the salesmen and women of received ideas.
Today, three decades after Fela’s prophetic warning, Nigeria is spell -bound with received ideas from the books of Bretton Woods Institutions namely the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. The theme of the 2006 UNDP Report was Beyond Scarcity: Power, Poverty and Global Water Crisis. The Report, we recall, showed that water and access to water by majority of people is indispensable to any serious effort at meeting the moribund Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which Nigeria never met, anyway. Yet that was what Fela had pointed out in his evergreen Water No Get Enemy album. The sad commentary is that in spite of the indispensability of water to life, it has “enemies” in Nigeria which include all of us who unacceptably rely on boreholes; truck-pushing water vendors and rain fall to drink water. Precisely because Nigeria cannot make clean water available for its citizens or make its citizens “enemies” of water contrary to Fela’s universally acclaimed insight that water “no get enemy,” is precisely why we must honour Fela for reminding us of the common sense increasingly becoming uncommon here.
In sum, Fela’s brilliant and prodigious works constitute a definitive narrative of the Nigerian condition. His art and politics were anti-poverty and pro-development. His essence was the advancement of human progress. In the making and unmaking of Nigeria, Fela’s name would, on a positive note, remain prominent in the category of makers of Nigeria. Some of the names in the Nigeria’s roll of honour have actually contributed to the unmaking of Nigeria; as a negation the nation would, therefore, be inspiring millions of other makers of Nigeria by honouring the memory of a historical figure such as Fela.
Aremu is a member of the National Institute; Falana is Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Komolafe is the Deputy Managing Director of THISDAY Newspapers Group.
As part of activities marking the 79th posthumous birthday of the Late Afrobeat Legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode on Sunday unveiled the Liberation Statue erected his honour at Allen Roundabout in Ikeja
Eulogizing the virtues of the late musician and freedom fighter, Governor Ambode described him as an enigmatic artiste who used the platform of his art to agitate for social and human rights by challenging government and people to explore development through social and economic activities that are rooted in African values.
Governor Ambode said aside from challenging people to free their minds of all inhibitions and actualise their true potentials, the late music icon also voluntarily turned his back on a life of comfort and privilege, and took up his saxophone as a weapon to fight for the liberation of the people from neo-colonialism and bad governance.
While insisting that the spirit of Fela was still alive as a movement of social consciousness and justice against oppression, the Governor said the late legend made the world sit up and take notice of the energy of African art and music, adding that he will forever be accorded his position in the global hall of fame of artistes.
“The phenomenon that the world knows as ‘Fela’ was deeply rooted in the evolution of Lagos State. The story of music, art, entertainment and tourism in Lagos and Nigeria cannot be told without an eloquent mention of the “Abami eda”.
“On this day, October 15th, which would have been Fela’s 79th birthday, the government and people of Lagos State celebrate ”Fela” with the unveiling of this Liberation Statue. It has been 20 years since he passed on but the memories he left us with remain evergreen. Today we celebrate a man who voluntarily turned his back on a life of comfort and privilege, and took up his saxophone as a weapon to fight for the liberation of our people from neo-colonialism and bad governance.
“This “Liberation” statue is not an image of Fela but a symbol of Fela’s philosophy. This artwork was created as a form of respect and remembrance to this legend; what he stood for and fought for with his music; his mythology; struggle for freedom; fight for human dignity; social consciousness; courage and Pan-Africanism,” the Governor said.
Responding on behalf of the family, Fela’s daughter and social commentator, Yeni Kuti commended Governor Ambode and the artist for coming up with such a monument to recognize and honour their father in a big way, saying that it was a good representation of their late patriarch.
She specifically justified the design of the monument, saying it was the expression of how the artist felt about the late legend.
Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode has unveiled an effigy tagged ‘Liberation Statue’ erected at Allen Roundabout in Ikeja in honour of the late Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony on Sunday, Ambode described Fela as an enigmatic artiste who used the platform of his art to agitate for social and human rights by challenging government and people to explore development through social and economic activities that are rooted in African values.
The governor who said the unveiling of the effigy was as part of activities marking his 79th posthumous birthday and the 20thanniversary of his demise added that aside challenging people to free their minds of all inhibitions and actualise their true potentials, the late music icon also voluntarily turned his back on a life of comfort and privilege, and took up his saxophone as a weapon to fight for the liberation of the people from neo-colonialism and bad governance.
Stressing that the spirit of Fela was still alive as a movement of social consciousness and justice against oppression, the Governor said the late legend made the world sit up and take notice of the energy of African art and music, adding that he will forever be accorded his position in the global hall of fame of artistes.
According to him, “The phenomenon that the world knows as “Fela” was deeply rooted in the evolution of Lagos State. The story of music, art, entertainment and tourism in Lagos and Nigeria cannot be told without an eloquent mention of the “Abami eda”.
“On this day, October 15th, which would have been Fela’s 79th birthday, the government and people of Lagos State celebrate ‘’Fela’’ with the unveiling of this Liberation Statue. It has been 20 years since he passed on but the memories he left us with remain evergreen. Today we celebrate a man who voluntarily turned his back on a life of comfort and privilege, and took up his saxophone as a weapon to fight for the liberation of our people from neo-colonialism and bad governance.
“This “Liberation” statue is not an image of Fela but a symbol of Fela’s philosophy. This artwork was created as a form of respect and remembrance to this legend; what he stood for and fought for with his music; his mythology; struggle for freedom; fight for human dignity; social consciousness; courage and Pan-Africanism.”
He said though Fela was no more, but it was gratifying that he is still alive in his music and in the music of Femi, Seun and other artistes who have followed his style of music, assuring that the unveiled statue would be the first of many to celebrate the Afrobeat icon.
Responding on behalf of the family, Fela’s daughter, Yeni Kuti commended Governor Ambode and the artist for coming up with such a monument to recognize and honour their father in a big way, saying that it was a good representation of their late patriarch.
Entertainment news platform, Net TV celebrated late Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti popularly known as Abami Eda who died 20 years ago.
A statement from the outfit describes Fela as a musical genius who had been a cultural icon since the early 70’s when he created the Afrobeat genre. 20 years ago, the world was shocked by the news that one of Africa’s most iconic figures Fela Anikulapo Kuti had passed away.
“As a musician, he was unequalled. His music was a delightful fusion of classical music, highlife and traditional African music. The result was a sound like no other and Fela’s fame was global.
“Fela’s music describes the life of the average Nigerian who is constantly suffering, but smiling through the pain, believing in the rewards that await them in the afterlife due to the teachings of religious leaders, who themselves live the most lavish lives, enjoying the so-called earthly pleasures. He warns people to open their eyes to this injustice and stop being blind followers of religion,” the statement reads.
In commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Legend’s death, Thenetng compiled a series of video tours of the Kalakuta republic, the place where the legend lived until his death.
Entertainment maverick Charly boy and the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), on Wednesday eulogised late Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, exactly two decades after his demise.
Charly Boy described the late Fela as “unequalled legend who preached against corruption, injustice and other societal ills.
“The truth is Fela never dies; he lives on with his music.
“What Fela stood against across Africa, and Nigeria in particular, that made many to call him a mad man, are still very much our problems today.
“He talked about suffering and smiling, corruption, and fear of death that made people keep quiet or indifferent to bad governance.
“Nigeria will forever miss this great social activist and advocate of justice and equity,” he said.
Charly boy, who was a past President of Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), added that Fela was a pride to Nigeria, by taking the African musical genre to the global stage.
On his part, Mr Agility Onwura, Chairman, FCT chapter of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), described the late afrobeat superstar as a “philosopher and a voice to the voiceless.
“Fela was an advocate to the common man, who believed in equity and fairness.
“His death was not just a lost to Nigerians, but to the global music industry.
“He belonged to the class of Bob Marley, Martin Luther King (Jnr) and other preachers of human freedom.”
Onwurah added that Fela was a multi-talented instrumentalist and singer who believed in his brand without any sense of competition.
He urged young artistes to emulate Fela’s doggedness, passion and consistency that made his music remain timeless and inspiring, even 20 years after his demise.
NAN reports that Fela Anikulapo Kuti, who died on Aug. 2, 1997 at 59, was a Nigerian musician, pioneer of the Afrobeat music genre, human rights activist, and political maverick.
The “Abami Eda”, as he was also known, was often hailed as one of Africa’s most bold and charismatic music performers.
Fela made the decision to sing in Pidgin English so that his music could be enjoyed by individuals all over Africa, where the local languages spoken are very diverse and numerous.
As popular as Fela’s music had become in Nigeria and elsewhere, it was also very unpopular with the ruling government, and raids on his popular shrine, Kalakuta Republic were frequent.
Some of his popular songs include ‘Shakara’, ‘Zombie’,’Gentleman’ and ‘Suffering and ‘Smiling’
