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Fela Kuti Fela is a man of contradictions fela attorneys is what makes him so fascinating People who love him forgive the bad parts of him His songs often run for up to 20 minutes and are sung in a thick almost incomprehensible Pidgin English His music is influenced primarily by Christian hymns and classical music He also blends jazz Yoruba and highlife with horns and guitars He was a musician Fela Kuti embodied that music can be a powerful tool to influence the world His music was used to call for social political and economic changes His influence is still evident to this day His musical style Afrobeat is a combination of African and Western influences Its roots are in WestAfrican music as well as funk However it has evolved into a completely new genre His political activism was intense and he acted without fear He made use of his music to protest against government corruption and human right abuses Songs like Zombie Coffin for the State Head and others were shrewd criticisms of Nigerias government He also used Kalakuta as a place to gather likeminded people and to promote political activism The play features a huge portrait featuring his late mother Funmilayo ransomeKuti She was a prominent feminist and activist Shantel Cribbs portrays her and she does a great job of conveying her importance in Felas life The play also explores on her political activism Despite her declining health she refused to be tested for AIDS and instead chose traditional medicine He was a singer Fela Ransome Kuti was a complex individual who used music to effect political change He is known as the creator of afrobeat It was an invigorating hybrid of dirty funk and traditional African rhythms He was also a constant critic of Nigerias governmental and religious leaders Felas mother was an anticolonial suffragist So its not unusual that he has a passion for political commentaries and social commentary His parents wanted him to be a physician however he had other plans While he initially sounded in a more political highlife fashion a trip in America changed his outlook forever The music he composed was greatly affected by his exposure to Black Power movements and leaders like Eldridge Clever and Malcolm X He developed a philosophy of PanAfricanism 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 create an organization called the Movement of the People and write songs that reflected the thoughts he had about activism and black awareness His ideas were expressed through the method of yabis which is which is a form of public speaking is referred to as freedom of expression He also began to impose an ethical code of conduct on his band This included refusing to accept prescriptions from Westerntrained physicians Fela returned to Nigeria and began building his own club in Ikeja Police and military officials were all the time His MosholashiIdi Oro hangers repopulated the area surrounding the club with hard drugs especially bana and yamuna heroin Fela maintained his integrity in spite of this His music is a testament of his determination to challenge authority and ensuring that the desires of the masses are recognized in official goals It is a remarkable legacy that will endure for generations to come He was a poet In his music Fela used lighthearted sarcasm to draw attention to political and economic issues in Nigeria He also made fun of his audience government and even himself During these shows he would refer to himself as the big dick in the little pond These jokes were not viewed lightly by the authorities and he was repeatedly detained and beatings in the hands of authorities He eventually renamed himself Anikulapo meaning he carries death in his pocket In 1977 Fela recorded a song called Zombie which compared soldiers to mindless zombies who were able to follow orders without hesitation The military was irritated by this and seized Kalakuta Republic They burned the place down and beat its inhabitants During the raid the mother of Fela was thrown out of her secondfloor window Fela developed Afrobeat in the years that following Nigerias independence Afrobeat is a music genre that combines jazz with the indigenous African rhythm His songs attacked European imperialism in culture and praised African traditional beliefs and cultures He also criticized fellow Africans who violated their countrys customs He stressed the importance of human rights and freedom He was a rapper Fela Anikulapo Kuti trumpeter and saxophonist was born in Abeokuta in 1938 He is a pioneer in Afrobeat music He was inspired by jazz rock and roll and also traditional African music as well as chants and music After an excursion to the United States in 1969 Fela met Sandra Smith an activist from the Black Power movement and her ideas influenced his work profoundly The music of Fela became an instrument of political power upon his return to Nigeria He criticised the government of his home country and argued against Western sensibilities that affected African culture He also wrote about human rights violations and social injustices right violations He was frequently detained for his criticism of the military Fela also openly advocated the use of marijuana referred to as igbo in Africa He often held public discussions at Afrika Shrine called yabis where he would lampoon government officials and promote his beliefs about freedom of expression and the beauty of womens bodies Fela also had a harem of young women who performed at his shows and served as vocal backups for him He was a dancer Fela was a master at musical fusion He fused elements of beat music and highlife into his own distinctive style He influenced a generation of African musicians and was an outspoken critic of colonial rule Fela refused to be tortured and arrested by the Nigerian military junta as as witnessing the murder of his mother He died from complications due to AIDS in 1997 Fela was a wellknown political activist who was critical of the oppressive Nigerian Government and endorsed the principles Pan Africanism His albums including 1973s Gentleman focused on the issue of oppression by both colonial and government parties He also emphasized black power and criticized Christianity and Islam as nonAfrican imports which have been used to divide the people of Africa The title track on an album released in 1978 Shuffering and Shmiling describes the overcrammed public busses filled with poor workers shuffering and smiling Fela was a strong opponent of hypocrisy in religion Felas dancers were also an excellent match for his music They were vibrant sensual and regal Their contributions to the performance were as important as Felas words He was a political activist Fela Kuti was an activist who utilized music to challenge unjust authority He adapted his knowledge of American jazz and funk to African styles and rhythms creating an ear that was ready for a fight Most of his songs start with slowburning instrumentals then adding shortlined melodies and riffs until they burst with urgency Fela like many artists who were afraid to discuss their political views was fearless and unbending He stood in his convictions even when it was dangerous to do so Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was a feminist who was the leader of the Nigerian Womens Movement His father was a protestant minister as well as the teachers union president He also established Kalakuta Republic a recording studio and commune that grew into a symbol of the resistance The government raided Kalakuta Republic and destroyed property as well as injuring Fela He refused to give up and continued to speak against the government He died from complications of AIDS in 1997 His son Femi continues to carry his musical and political legacy He was a father Music is often seen by many as a form of political protest Artists use lyrics to call for a change However some of the most effective musicrelated protests dont rely on words in any way Fela Kuti was one such artist and his music is still ringing out to this day He was the pioneer of Afrobeat music which blends traditional African rhythms and harmony with jazz and hiphop influenced by artists such as James Brown Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was Felas activist mother She was a unionist who fought colonialism She helped form the Abeokuta Womens Union and fought against genderdiscriminatory taxation laws She also studied marxism and believed in the idea of a Nigeria which served its all of its citizens Seun Felas Son continues to carry the legacy of his father through a group dubbed Egypt 80 The band is touring the world in this year The Egypt 80s music combines the sound of Fela and a scathing critique of power structures that still exist in the present The album Black Times will be released in March A large number of fans gathered to pay their respects at the funeral in Tafawa Balewa square The crowd was so large that police were forced to shut off the entrance to the location