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Fela Kuti The life of Fela is full of contradictions and thats a large part of what makes him fascinating People who love him accept the bad parts of him His songs often run for longer than 20 minutes and are performed in thick almost incomprehensible Pidgin English His music is influenced by Christian hymns and classical music He also blends 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 He used his music to advocate for changes in the political and social spheres and his influence is still evident in the world of today His style of music Afrobeat is a combination of African and Western influences Its roots lie in WestAfrican highlife music and funk However it has since evolved into a distinct genre His political activism was intense and he did it without fear He used his music to protest government corruption and human rights violations Songs such as Zombie Coffin for the State Head and others were blatant criticisms of Nigerias government The residence he lived in Kalakuta Republic as an area for political activism and an opportunity to meet likeminded individuals The play includes a large portrait of his late mother Funmilayo RansomeKuti who was a wellknown feminist activist and feminist pioneer The actress who portrays her is Shantel Cribbs who has successfully communicated her importance in the life of Fela The play also examines her political activism Despite her declining health she was unable to get tested for AIDS and instead opted for traditional medicine He was a singer Fela Ransome Kuti was a complex person who used music to effect political change He is famous for his work on afrobeat a fusion of funk and dirty African rhythms He was a fierce critic of Nigerias religious and governmental leaders Having been raised by an anticolonial suffragist mother and a feminist father its not a surprise that Fela was a fan of politics and social commentary His parents wanted him to become medical doctor but he had different plans While he started in a more apolitical highlife fashion a trip in America could alter his perspective forever His music was profoundly influenced by his exposure to Black Power movements and leaders like Eldridge Clever and Malcolm X He adopted a PanAfricanism ethos which would influence and inform his later work He was a songwriter While in the United States Fela was introduced to Black Power activists like Stokely Carmichael and Malcolm X The experience inspired him to create an organization called the Movement of the People and to compose songs that reflected his ideas on political activism and black consciousness His ideas were expressed publicly through yabis a form of public speaking that he called freedom expression He also began imposing an ethical code of conduct on his band This included refusing to take medication from Westerntrained physicians Fela returned to Nigeria and began to build his own club in Ikeja The frequent raids by police and military officials was almost daily His MosholashiIdi Oro hangers were able to repopulate the area surrounding the club with hard drugs particularly bana and yamuna heroin Fela kept his integrity despite 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 influence that will last for generations He was a poet Felas music utilized sarcasm as well as humor to draw attention to the political and economic issues in Nigeria He also mocked his fans the government and himself He often referred to himself during these shows as the big dick in the little pond The authorities did not take his jokes lightly and he was frequently detained and imprisoned He was also beat by the authorities He eventually renamed himself Anikulapo meaning he is carrying death in his pocket In 1977 Fela recorded a song called Zombie which compared soldiers to zombies who obeyed orders without hesitation The military was offended by this and raided Kalakuta Republic They burned the place down and beat its inhabitants During the raid her mother was thrown from her secondfloor window Fela developed Afrobeat in the years that following Nigerias independence Afrobeat is a music genre that combines jazz with indigenous African rhythm His songs criticized European cultural imperialism and defended African traditional religions and cultures He also criticized fellow Africans who betrayed their countrys traditions He also stressed the importance of human rights and freedom He was a rapper Fela Anikulapo Kuti a saxophonist and trumpeter was born in Abeokuta in 1938 He is a pioneer of Afrobeat music He grew up with jazz music rock and roll and traditional African music and chants which influenced his unique style of music After a trip 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 a political instrument upon his return to Nigeria He criticised the government of his native country and argued against Western sensibilities affecting African culture He also wrote about societal injustices and human rights abuses and was frequently detained for his criticism of the military Fela also openly advocated the use of marijuana also known as igbo in Africa fela lawsuit settlements held public discussions at Afrika Shrine which he referred to as yabis where he would ridicule government officials and promote his beliefs on freedom of expression and the beauty of womens bodies Fela also had a harem of young women who performed in his shows and served as vocal backups to his vocalists He was a dancer Fela was a master at musical fusion He combined 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 Despite being arrested and tortured by the Nigerian military junta and witnessing his mother killed Fela refused to leave the country He died of complications due to AIDS in 1997 Fela was a prominent political activist who opposed the oppressive Nigerian Government and endorsed the ideals of Pan Africanism His albums such as 1973s Gentleman focused on the oppression of both government and colonial parties He also pushed for blackpower and criticised Christianity Islam and other nonAfrican imports that divide the people of Africa Shuffering and Smiling is the title track of an album from 1978 It describes overcrowded public buses filled with people who are poor shuffering and smiling Fela was a fierce antireligious hypocrisy The music of Fela was in turn complemented by his dancers who were vibrant sensual regal and sensual Their contributions to the performances were as important as the words of Fela He was an activist in the political arena Fela Kuti was an activist who utilized music to challenge oppressive authority He made use of his knowledge of American jazz and funk to African patterns and rhythms resulting in a sound that is braced for a fight Most of his songs start as slow instrumentals gradually adding little riffs and longlined melodies until they burst with urgency Unlike many artists who were afraid to speak out about their politics Fela was fearless and uncompromising He stood up for his beliefs even when it was dangerous to do so His mother Funmilayo RunsomeKuti was an avowed feminist who was the leader of the Nigerian Womens movement His father was a protestant minister and president of the teachers union He also founded Kalakuta Republic a recording studio and commune that was an emblem of the resistance The government raided the commune destroying the property and injuring Fela severely He refused to give up however and continued to speak out against the government He passed away from complications of AIDS in 1997 His son Femi continues to carry on his musical and political legacy He was a father Music is often viewed as a political act and musicians use lyrics to demand change However some of the most effective musical protests dont use words at all Fela Kuti was one such artist and his music continues to ring out today He was the first to pioneer Afrobeat music which combines traditional African rhythms and harmonies with jazz and hiphop and was influenced by artists such as James Brown Felas mother Funmilayo RansomeKuti was an activist and unionist who stood up against colonialism She helped form the Abeokuta Womens Union and fought against genderdiscriminatory taxation laws She also studied Marxism and believed that Nigeria should be serving its entire population Felas son Seun is continuing his fathers work with the band Egypt 80 thats touring the world this year The bands music blends the sounds and political stances of Felas time with a searing denunciation of the same power structures that persist in the present Black Times will be released at the end March A large number of fans attended the funeral held in Tafawa Balewa square The crowd was so large that police were forced to block the entrance to the location