sizefifth42
User Name: You need to be a registered (and logged in) user to view username.
Total Articles : 0
Fela RansomeKuti In addition to being a musician Fela was a political activist and PanAfricanist He was a defender of African culture and was heavily influenced by Black Power He traveled to Ghana where he encountered new musical influences and a new direction for his music He composed songs that were meant to be political attacks against the Nigerian government and a world order that routinely exploited Africa His music was adamantly radical Fela Ransome Kuti was born Abeokuta Fela ransomeKuti was famous in the 1970s and 80s for his political views that were wildly out of control and abrasive music Many of his songs were direct critiques of the Nigerian government and the military dictatorships which were in power during those years He also criticized fellow Africans for supporting these dictatorships Felas rebellion against oppressive governments cost him dearly He was beaten detained and incarcerated numerous times He once claimed to be an prisoner of the Kalakuta Republic and founded his own political organization called the Movement for the Advancement of the People MOP Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was Felas mom She was an activist for womens rights and a feminist rights activist wellknown around the world She was a member of the Abeokuta Womens Union and worked as an educator She also helped organize some of the first preschool classes in Abeokuta She was a suffragist and was active in the Nigerian independence movement She was a close relative to writer and Nobel laureate Wole SOYINKA RansomeKuti was a proponent of PanAfricanism and was a strong socialist She was a proponent of the preservation of traditional African practices and religions and opposed European cultural imperialism RansomeKuti was influenced by the Black Power movement and the works of Malcolm X and Eldridge Cleaver She was a member of African Renaissance Movement Despite his aversion to Western culture and the oppressive Nigerian government Fela was able to gain a wide audience through his music His music was influenced by Afrobeat and rock jazz and was heavily inspired by the beats of American jazz clubs He was also a fervent antiracist Felas rebellion in Nigeria against the ruling party led to many arrests and beatings However it did not stop him from touring the United States and Europe In 1984 he again was attacked by the military and arrested under dubious charges International human rights groups intervened following the incident and the government was forced to step down Kuti however continued to record and perform up until his death in 1998 He was buried at Kalakuta Cemetery Abeokuta The city is now home to the Fela Museum He was a musician A passionate PanAfricanist Fela was committed to using his music as a form of social protest He criticized the Nigerian Government and inspired activists all over the world Fela was born in 1938 in Abeokuta Nigeria He was the son of Funmilayo Ransome Kuti who was a fervent anticolonialist and leader of the Nigerian womens movement His mother was also a doctor and anticolonialist as were his grandparents The main goal of Felas life was to fight for the rights and freedoms of the oppressed Fela started his career in the field of music teacher in 1958 following he dropped out of medical school He wanted to pursue his passion for the music He began playing highlife music which is a popular genre that blends African rhythms and Western instruments with jazz He started his first band in London and was able to hone his skills in the capital of music of Europe On his return to Nigeria He created Afrobeat that combines danceable beats and lyrics written in agitprop The new style was adopted by Africans and Nigerians across the continent It was one of the most influential forms in African music In the 1970s Felas political activism placed him in direct conflict with Nigerian military regimes The regime feared that his music would motivate people to fight against their oppressors and to overturn the statusquo Fela despite repeated attempts to silence his music continued to produce a ferocious and danceable music until the end of his life He died from AIDSrelated complications in 1997 When Fela was alive crowds of people were always waiting to see him perform at his nightclub in Lagos called Afrika Shrine He also constructed the Kalakuta republic which was a commune that served as his recording studio and club The commune was also used as a place for political speeches Fela critiqued the Nigerian government as well as world leaders such as Ronald Reagan Margaret Thatcher and PW Botha South African the South African Prime Minister Botha Despite his death from AIDSrelated complications his legacy is still alive His Afrobeat style has influenced a variety of artists like Beyonce and Wyclef Jean Jay Z has also mentioned his influence He was an enigmatic man who was a lover of music fun and women But his most lasting legacy is his unwavering efforts to fight for the marginalized He was a PanAfricanist The renowned Nigerian multiinstrumentalist and political activist Fela AnikulapoKuti was a PanAfricanist bringing his unique musical style to the cause of the people A master of blending elements of African culture with American jazz and funk as well he also utilized his music to protest against the oppressive Nigerian government Despite being subject to numerous arrests and beatings but he continued to speak out and fight for his beliefs Fela was born into the RansomeKuti family that included anticolonialists as well as artists His mother Funmilayo RansomeKuti was an educator and feminist as was his father Israel Oludotun Ransome Kuti assisted in form a teachers union He grew up listening to and singing the traditional tunes of highlife an intermixing of jazz standards soul ballads and Ghanaian hymns This musical legacy shaped the worldview of Fela who was determined to bring Africa to the world and the world to Africa In 1977 Fela released Zombie an album that compared policemen to a rogue horde who would follow any order and brutalize the populace The track ticked off the military authorities who surrounded his home and destroyed his property They slayed everyone including Felas children and women His mother was thrown out of the window and died of injuries suffered during the attack the following year The war fueled Felas antigovernment activism He founded a commune known as the Kalakuta Republic It also served as a studio for recording He also formed a political party and broke away from the Nigerian government and his songs started to focus more on social issues In 1979 he dragged his mothers coffin into the headquarters of the junta ruling in Lagos and was then beaten Fela was an ardent warrior and never bowed to the status established order He was aware that the injustice of fighting an inefficient and unjust power however he did not give up He was the embodiment of a spirit that was indefatigable and in that way he was truly heroic He was a man who defied all odds and changed the course of history His legacy lives on today fela settlements passed away in 1997 The death of Fela was a blow to his many fans across the globe He was 58 years old when he passed away and his funeral was attended by millions of people His family members claimed that he died of heart failure caused by AIDS Fela was an important figure in the development of Afrobeat a genre of music that blended traditional Yoruba rhythms with jazz and American funk His political activism led to him being taken into custody and beat by the Nigerian police He refused to be silenced He urged others to fight the corrupt regime of the Nigerian military regime and advocated Africanism Fela had a significant influence on the Black Power Movement in the United States This inspired him to continue fighting for Africa In his later years Fela was diagnosed with skin lesions and he also lost weight rapidly These signs were an evident indication that he was suffering from AIDS He was an AIDS denier and he refused treatment but ultimately succumbed to the disease Fela Kuti will be remembered for generations Kutis music is a powerful political statement that is a challenge to the status that is He was a revolutionary who wanted to change the way Africans were treated He utilized his music as a means of social protest and fought against colonialism His music had a profound influence on the lives of a lot of Africans and hell be remembered for that Throughout his career Fela worked with various producers to create his unique sound Some of these producers included EMI producer Jeff Jarratt and British dub master Dennis Bovell His music was a blend of traditional African beats American funk and jazz which gave him an international fan base He was a polarizing figure in the music industry and was often critical of Western culture Fela is known for his controversial music and his lifestyle He smoked openly marijuana and had many relationships with women Despite his extravagant life he was a staunch activist and was a fighter for the rights of the poor in Nigeria His music was influential in many Africans in their lives and helped them to embrace their culture