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Fela Kuti The life of Fela is full of contradictions and thats a large part of what makes him so fascinating People who love him forgive the flaws in him His songs can last longer than 20 minutes and are sung in dense almost unintelligible Pidgin English His music is influenced by Christian hymns and classical music He also includes jazz Yoruba and highlife with guitars and horns He was a musician Fela Kuti embodied that music can be a powerful tool to transform the world His music was used to call for social political and economic changes His influence is still present to this day His musical style Afrobeat is a combination of African and Western influences Its roots are in WestAfrican highlife music and funk but it has since developed into its own genre His political activism was intense and he did it without fear He used his music to speak out against corruption in government and human rights abuses Songs like Zombie Coffin for the State Head and others were shrewd criticisms of Nigerias dictatorship He also referred to Kalakuta as a platform to meet likeminded people and to encourage political activism The play includes a large portrait of his mother Funmilayo RansomeKuti who was a prominent feminist activist and pioneer of the feminist movement Shantel Cribbs portrays her and she does a great job of expressing her significance in the life of Fela The play also focuses on her political activism Despite her deteriorating condition she refused to be tested for AIDS Instead she took traditional treatment He was a singer Fela Ransome Kuti was a multifaceted person who used music to effect changes in the political landscape He is credited as the creator of afrobeat an invigorating hybrid of funk and traditional African rhythms He was also a fervent critic of Nigerias governmental and religious leaders His mother was a suffragist against colonialism and its not unusual that he is a fan for political commentaries and social commentary His parents hoped that he would be a doctor but there were other goals for him While he initially sounded in a more apolitical highlife fashion a trip in America changed his outlook forever The exposure to Black political movements and leaders like Malcolm X and Eldridge Cleaver would have a profound influence on his music fela accident attorney adopted a PanAfricanism philosophy which would influence and inform his later work He was a songwriter While in the United States Fela was introduced to Black Power activists such as Stokely Carmichael and Malcolm X The experience inspired him to form 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 of that he described as freedom expression He also began to establish strict moral codes for his band such as refusing to take medication from Westerntrained doctors Fela returned to Nigeria and began building his own club in Ikeja The raids by officers and police were almost daily MosholashiIdiOros hangerson repopulated the area surrounding the club with hard drugs particularly bana and yamuna heroin But despite this Fela kept his integrity unshaken His music demonstrates the determination with which he challenged authority and demanded that popular ambitions be reflected in official objectives It is a remarkable legacy that will last for generations to come He was a poet Felas music utilized sarcasm as well as humor to bring attention to the political and economic issues in Nigeria He also ridiculed his audience the government and himself He often referred to himself during these shows as the big dick on the small pond The authorities were not taking his jokes lightly and he was often detained and imprisoned He was also beating by the authorities He was eventually given the name Anikulapo which means he has his body in his purse In 1977 Fela recorded a song called Zombie which compared soldiers to zombies who were able to follow orders without hesitation The military was offended by the song and they raided the Kalakuta Republic burning it down and beating its occupants During the raid the mother of Fela was thrown from her secondfloor 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 cultural imperialism and defended traditional African beliefs and cultures He also criticized fellow Africans who sabotaged their countrys traditions He emphasized the importance of freedom and human rights He was a rapper A saxophonist trumpeter composer and pioneer of the Afrobeat genre Fela AnikulapoKuti was born in 1938 in Abeokuta Nigeria He grew up listening to jazz and rock and roll as well as traditional African music and chants which helped form his style of music After a visit to the United States Fela met Sandra Smith She was an activist in the Black Power Movement Her ideas have influenced his work The music of Fela became a political instrument upon his return to Nigeria He was critical of the government in his country of birth and argued that African culture should not be diluted by Western sensibilities He also wrote about societal injustices and human rights violations and was frequently detained for his criticism of the military Fela also openly advocated the use of marijuana also known as igbo in Africa He held yabis public discussions at Afrika Shrine where he would ridicule officials of the government and express his views on freedom of expression and beauty of womens bodies Fela also had a group of young women who danced at his shows and acted as vocal backups to his vocalists He was a dancer Fela was a master at musical fusion He combined elements of jazz beat music and highlife into his own distinctive style He was a renowned African musician and a vocal critic of colonial rule Despite being snatched and tortured by the Nigerian military junta and witnessing his mother murdered Fela refused to leave the country He died in 1997 from AIDSrelated complications Fela was a wellknown political activist who opposed the oppressive Nigerian Government and endorsed the principles of Pan Africanism His albums including 1973s Gentleman focused on the oppression of both the government and colonial parties He also promoted black power and decried Christianity and Islam as nonAfrican imports which have been used to divide the people of Africa Shuffering and Smiling is the title track from an album from 1978 It is about overcrowded public transports filled with poor workers shuffering and smiling Fela was a fierce enemy of religious hypocrisy His dancers were an excellent match for his music They were vibrant sensual and regal Their contributions were as significant as Felas words He was a political militant Fela Kuti utilized music as a weapon to challenge unjust authorities He took his knowledge of American jazz and funk to African modes and rhythms resulting in music that is ready for battle Most of his songs start with slowburning instrumentals then layering small riffs and melodies until they burst with urgency In contrast to many artists who were hesitant to publicly discuss their political views Fela was fearless and uncompromising He stood in the cause he believed in even when it was risky Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was a feminist leader of the Nigerian Womens Movement His father was a protestant minister and president of the teachers union He also established Kalakuta Republic a commune and recording studio that was an emblem of resistance The government raided the Kalakuta Republic destroying property and severely injuring Fela He refused to give up and continued to speak out against the government He died from complications of AIDS in 1997 His son Femi continues to carry his legacy of music and politics He was a father Music is often seen as a form of political protest with artists using lyrics to solicit change Some of the most powerful music demonstrations arent performed with words Fela Kuti was one such artist and his music still rings out to this day He was the first to pioneer Afrobeat that combines traditional African rhythms and harmonies with jazz and funk inspired by artists like James Brown Felas mother Funmilayo RansomeKuti was an activist and unionist who fought against colonialism She helped form the Abeokuta Womens Union and fought against genderdiscriminatory taxation laws She also studied Marxism and believed that Nigeria should serve its whole population Felas son Seun is continuing his fathers legacy through a band called Egypt 80 thats touring the world this year The bands music blends the sounds and politics of Felas era with a searing denunciation of the same power structures that persist in the present Black Times will be released at the end March Thousands of fans attended the funeral and paid their tributes at Tafawa Balewa Square The crowd was so big that police had to block the entrance