earmodem79
User Name: You need to be a registered (and logged in) user to view username.
Total Articles : 0
Fela Kuti Felas life is full of contradictions which is part of what makes him so fascinating People who love him forgive the bad parts of him His songs often run for longer than 20 minutes and are sung in a dense almost incomprehensible Pidgin English His music is inspired by Christian hymns and jazz classical music Yoruba singing and hornandguitar heavy highlife He was a musician Fela Kuti embodied the idea that music is a tool for change He made use of his music to push for changes in the political and social spheres and his influence is still evident in the world of even today His style of music Afrobeat is a combination of African and Western influences Its roots are in WestAfrican hiplife music and funk however it has evolved into a distinct style His political activism was fierce and fearless He made use of his music to protest against corruption in the government and human rights abuses Songs such as Zombie Coffin for the State Head and others were bold criticisms of Nigerias government The residence he lived in Kalakuta Republic as an area for political activism as well as an area for gathering with people who were likeminded The play includes a large portrait featuring his mother who died in the past Funmilayo ransomeKuti She was a renowned feminist and activist She is played by actress Shantel Cribbs who has successfully conveyed 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 treatments He was a singer Fela Ransome Kuti was a multifaceted person who utilized music to bring about political change He is known for creating Afrobeat a mix of funk and dirty African rhythms He was a fierce critic of Nigerias governmental and religious leaders Having been raised by an anticolonial feminist mother and a feminist father its not a surprise that Fela had a passion for politics and social commentary His parents hoped that he would be a doctor but there were other goals for him While he began in a more apolitical highlife fashion a trip in America would change his outlook forever Exposure to Black power movements and the leaders such as Malcolm X and Eldridge Cleaver had a profound effect on his music He adopted a PanAfricanism ethos which would influence and inform his later work He was a writer Fela encountered Black Power activists such as Stokely Carmichael and Malcolm X during his time in the United States The experiences inspired him to establish an organization called the Movement of the People and to compose songs that expressed his thoughts on political activism and black consciousness His philosophy was expressed publicly by yabis a type of that he described as freedom expression He also began to enforce an uncompromising code of ethics for his group which included refusing to take medication from Westerntrained doctors After returning to Nigeria Fela began building his own club The Shrine in Ikeja Police and military officials were almost constant His MosholashiIdi Oro hangers were able to repopulate the area surrounding the club with drugs of all kinds particularly bana and yamuna heroin Fela maintained his integrity in spite of this His music is a testament to the determination with which he fought authority and demanded that popular ambitions be reflected in official objectives It is an extraordinary legacy that will last for generations to come He was a poet Felas music utilized sarcasm as well as humor to bring attention to economic and political issues in Nigeria He also mocked his fans as well as the government and himself He often referred to himself during these shows as the big dick on the small pond The authorities took his jokes lightly and he was frequently detained imprisoned and beating by the authorities He was eventually given the name Anikulapo which means he is carrying 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 This offended the military who seized the Kalakuta Republic burning it down and beating its inhabitants In the course of the raid the mother of Fela was thrown out of her secondfloor window Fela developed Afrobeat during the years that followed Nigerias independence Afrobeat is a music genre that combines jazz and indigenous African rhythm His songs attacked European cultural imperialism and supported traditional African religions and culture He also criticized fellow Africans who sabotaged their countrys traditions He also stressed the importance of human rights and freedom He was a hiphop artist A trumpeter saxophonist and composer and pioneer of the Afrobeat genre Fela AnikulapoKuti was born in 1938 in Abeokuta Nigeria He was heavily influenced by jazz rock and roll and also 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 were influential in his work Upon his return to Nigeria Fela began using his music as a tool for political purposes He criticized the government in his home country and argued that African culture should not be submerged by Western sensibilities He also wrote about societal inequities and human rights violations and was often detained for his criticism of the military Fela was also a fervent advocate of marijuana in Africa and is referred to as igbo He often held public discussions at Afrika Shrine which he referred to as yabis in which he would lampoon government officials and promote his views on freedom of expression and the beauty of womens bodies Fela had an harem which was a group of young women who performed at his shows and supported his vocally He was a dancer Fela was a master of musical fusion He fused elements of beat music and highlife to create his own distinctive style He influenced a generation of African musicians and was an outspoken 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 an activist for the political cause who was a critic of the oppressive Nigerian government and embraced the principles of Pan Africanism His albums including 1973s Gentleman focused on addressing oppression from both government bodies and colonial parties He also pushed for blackpower and criticized Christianity Islam and other nonAfrican influences for dividing the people of Africa Shuffering and Smiling is the title track from a 1978 album It describes crowded public buses filled with working poor people shuffering and smiling Fela was a fierce antireligious hypocrisy Felas dancers were also a great complement to his music They were vibrant sensual and elegant Their contributions were as important as Felas words He was an activist in the political arena Fela Kuti used music as a tool to challenge oppressive authorities He transformed his knowledge of American jazz and funk to African patterns and rhythms and created a sound that was ready for fight Most of his songs start with slowburning instrumentals then layering shortlined melodies and riffs until they explode in a flash of vigor Unlike many artists who were hesitant to publicly discuss their political views Fela was fearless and uncompromising He stood for his beliefs even when it was risky to do so His mother Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was a prominent feminist who led the Nigerian Womens movement His father was both a protestant minister and the president of the teachers union He also established Kalakuta Republic a recording studio and commune that became a symbol of the resistance The government raided Kalakutas Republic and destroyed property as well as injured Fela He refused to give up however and continued to speak against the government He died of complications from AIDS in 1997 He was succeeded by his son Femi who continues to continue his musical and political legacy He was a father Music is often seen as a political act with musicians using lyrics to demand change However some of the most effective musicrelated protests do not use words at all Fela Kuti is one these artists and his music still resonates today He was the pioneer of Afrobeat music which blends traditional African rhythms and harmonies with jazz and hiphop that was inspired by artists like James Brown Funmilayo RansomeKuti Felas maternal grandmother was an activist and unionist who was a fighter against colonialism She helped form the Abeokuta Womens Union and fought against genderdiscriminatory taxation laws She also studied marxism and believed in a Nigeria which served its entire population Seun Felas son is carrying on his fathers legacy with the band Egypt 80 The band will be touring the globe this year The Egyptian 80s music blends the sounds of Fela with a scathing denunciation of the power structures that exist today Black Times will be released at the end March Many fans attended the funeral and paid respects in Tafawa Balewa Square fela claims railroad employees was so large that the police had to block the entrance