fishquill85
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Fela Kuti The life of Fela is full contradictions and thats part of what makes him fascinating People who love him accept the parts of him that arent perfect His songs are usually 20 minutes or more and sung in a slurred Pidgin English that is almost incomprehensible His music is heavily influenced 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 an instrument for change He made use of his music to push for changes in the political and social spheres and his influence is present in the world in the present Afrobeat is a musical style that combines African and Western influences Its roots are in WestAfrican highlife and funk However it has since developed into its own genre His political activism was fierce and fearless He utilized his music as a protest against government corruption and human right abuses Songs like Zombie and Coffin for the Head of State were provocative criticisms of the Nigerian regime He also made use of Kalakuta as a place to meet likeminded people and to promote political activism The production includes a massive portrait of his mother who died in the past Funmilayo ransomeKuti She was a prominent feminist and activist Shantel Cribbs portrays her and she does an excellent job of capturing the importance she played in the life of Fela The play also focuses on her political involvement Despite her declining health she refused to get checked for AIDS and instead opted for traditional medicine 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 which is a blend of funk and dirty African rhythms He was also a constant critic of Nigerias governmental and religious leaders Being raised by an anticolonial suffragist mother and a feminist father its not a surprise that Fela was interested in social commentary and politics His parents wanted him to be medical doctor but he had different plans While he started in a more apolitical highlife fashion a trip in America would change his outlook forever His music was profoundly inspired by his exposure to Black Power movements and leaders like Eldridge Clever and Malcolm X He adopted a PanAfricanism ethos which would inform and guide 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 The experience inspired him to start an activist movement known as the Movement of the People and to write songs that reflected his ideas on political activism and black consciousness His philosophical ideas were aired through the medium of yabis a form of public speaking was referred to as freedom of expression He also began to impose an ethical code on his band This included refusing to take medication from Westerntrained physicians Fela returned to Nigeria and began building his own club in Ikeja fela case settlements by officers and police were nearly constant His MosholashiIdi Oro hangers repopulated the area around the club with drugs of all kinds particularly bana and yamuna heroin But despite this Fela was a man of uncompromising integrity His music is a testament to his determination in challenging authority and demanding that the popular goals are recognized in official goals It is an influence that will last for generations He was a poet In his music Fela used lighthearted sarcasm to draw attention to political and economic issues in Nigeria He also poked fun at his audience government officials and even himself During these shows he would refer to himself as the big dick in the little pond These jokes were not accepted lightly by the authorities and he was frequently arrested and imprisonments as well as beatings at the hands of the authorities He was eventually given the title Anikulapo which translates to he has his death in his pouch In 1977 Fela released a song called Zombie in which he compared soldiers to mindless zombies who followed orders without any question The military was offended by the song and conducted a raid on Kalakuta Republic They burned the place down and beat its residents During the raid Felas mother was thrown out of her secondfloor through a window Fela developed Afrobeat during the years that following the countrys independence Afrobeat is a music genre that combines jazz and native African rhythm His songs criticized European imperialism in culture and praised African traditional beliefs and cultures He also criticized fellow Africans who violated their countrys traditions He emphasized the importance of human rights and freedom He was a hiphop artist Fela Anikulapo Kuti trumpeter and saxophonist was born in Abeokuta in 1938 He is a pioneer of Afrobeat music He was heavily influenced by jazz rock and roll as well as traditional African music as well as chants and 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 Felas music became a political instrument after his return to Nigeria He criticized the government of his country of birth and argued that African culture should not be submerged by Western sensibilities He also wrote about social inequities and human rights violations and was frequently detained for his criticism of the military Fela was also a proponent of marijuana in Africa which is known as igbo He held yabis public discussions at the Afrika Shrine where he would ridicule officials of the government and share his opinions on freedom of expression and beauty of womens bodies Fela also had an entourage of young women who danced at his shows and served as vocal backups to him He was a dancer Fela was a master of musical fusion He incorporated elements from beat music and highlife to create his own unique style He was a prominent African musician and vocal critic of colonial rule Despite being arrested and tortured by the Nigerian military junta and witnessing his mother murdered Fela refused to leave the country He died in 1997 of AIDSrelated complications Fela was a wellknown political activist who criticized the oppressive Nigerian Government and endorsed the principles of Pan Africanism His albums including 1973s Gentleman focused on addressing oppression from both colonial and government parties He also promoted black power and decried Christianity and Islam as nonAfrican imports that have been used to divide the people of Africa Shuffering and Smiling is the title track of a 1978 album It describes overcrowded public buses filled with working poor people shuffering and smiling Fela was a fierce antireligious hypocrisy His music was enhanced by his dancers who were vibrant sensual regal and sensual Their contributions were as important as Felas words He was an activist for the political cause Fela Kuti was a militant who used music to challenge the unjust authority He took his knowledge of American jazz and funk towards African patterns and rhythms resulting in music that is ready for battle The majority of his songs start as slowburning instrumentals He layers melodies riffs longlined melodies and other elements until they explode with a sense of urgency In contrast to many artists who were afraid to expose their political beliefs Fela was fearless and unbending He stood in his convictions even when it was dangerous to do so His mother Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was a fervent feminist who was the leader of the Nigerian Womens Movement His father was a protestant minister and the head of the teachers union He also established Kalakuta Republic a recording studio and commune that grew into a symbol of the resistance The government raided the commune degrading the property and injuring Fela badly He refused to give up though and continued to protest against the government He died in 1997 from complications caused by AIDS He was succeeded by his son Femi who continues to continue his musical and political legacy He was a father Music is often seen by many as a form of political protest Musicians use lyrics to demand change Some of the most powerful music demonstrations are not performed with words Fela Kuti is one of the artists mentioned above and his music still is heard today He was the pioneer of Afrobeat music which combines traditional African rhythms and harmony with jazz and hiphop and was 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 that Nigeria should serve its entire population Seun Felas Son is carrying the legacy of his father with a band named Egypt 80 The band is touring the world in this year The bands music combines the sounds and politics of Felas time with a passionate critique of the same power structures that continue to exist today Black Times will be released by the end of March Thousands of fans attended the funeral and paid respects in Tafawa Balewa Square The crowd was so huge that the police had to shut down the entrance