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Fela Kuti

The life of Fela is full contradictions, and that's a large part of what makes him so fascinating. People who love him will forgive the parts of him that aren't perfect.

His songs can last up to 20 minutes, and are sung in dense, almost incomprehensible Pidgin English. employers’ liability act fela is influenced primarily by Christian hymns and classical music. He also includes jazz, Yoruba, and highlife with guitars and horns.

He was a musician

Fela Kuti embodied the idea that music can be a tool for change. His music was used to argue for political, social and economic changes. His influence is still felt today. Afrobeat is a musical style that combines African and Western influences. Its roots are in West-African music and funk. However it has evolved into a completely new genre.

His political activism was fierce and he did it without fear. He used his music as a protest against corruption in the government and human right abuses. Songs such as "Zombie", "Coffin for the State Head" and others were blatant criticisms of Nigeria's dictatorship. He also made his home, Kalakuta Republic, as an area for political activism as well as an area for gathering with people who were like-minded.

The play features a large portrait of his late mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, who was a well-known activist and feminist pioneer. She is portrayed by actress 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 chose traditional medicine.

He was a musician

Fela Ransome-Kuti was a multifaceted man who employed his music as a tool for political change. He is renowned for his creation of afrobeat - a fusion of dirty funk with traditional African rhythms. He was also a relentless critic of Nigeria's governmental and religious leaders.

Having been raised by an anti-colonial feminist mother, it is no surprise that Fela was a fan of social commentary and politics. His parents hoped that he would become a doctor, but he had other plans.

A trip to America changed his perspective forever. Exposure to Black power movements and leaders like Malcolm X and Eldridge Cleaver would have a profound influence on his music. He adopted a Pan-Africanism philosophy that would inform and guide 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 experiences inspired him to establish a political movement called the Movement of the People, and to compose songs that expressed his thoughts about black activism and political consciousness. His philosophy was 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 accept prescriptions from Western-trained doctors.

After returning to Nigeria Fela began to build his own club The Shrine in Ikeja. The frequent raids by officers and police were almost constant. His Mosholashi-Idi Oro hangers were able to repopulate the area surrounding the club with hard drug particularly "bana" and "yamuna" (heroin). But despite this, Fela was a man of uncompromising integrity. His music is a testimony to the determination with which he challenged authority and demanded that popular ambitions be reflected in official objectives. It is an influence that will last for generations.

He was a poet

Fela's music utilized sarcasm as well as humor to draw attention to economic and political issues in Nigeria. He also made fun of his audience, government officials, and even himself. He often referred to himself during these shows as "the big dick in the pond with the little fish." The authorities did not take his jokes lightly, and he was frequently detained, imprisoned, and beaten by the authorities. He eventually renamed himself Anikulapo, meaning "he has death in his pouch."

In 1977, Fela recorded a song called "Zombie," which compared soldiers to mindless zombies that followed orders without question. This offended the military who seized the Kalakuta Republic, burning it down and beating its occupants. In the course of the raid, the mother of Fela was thrown out of her second-floor window.

In the decades following the independence of Nigeria, Fela created Afrobeat, an genre of music that blended jazz and traditional African rhythm. His songs criticised European cultural imperialism and defended traditional African religions and culture. He also criticized fellow Africans for disrespecting their country's tradition. He 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 in Afrobeat music. He grew up listening to jazz, rock and roll and traditional African music and chants which helped shape his unique style of music. After an excursion to the United States in 1969, Fela met Sandra Smith, an activist from the Black Power movement, and her ideas impacted his work profoundly.

Fela's music became a political instrument upon his return to Nigeria. He criticized the government of his home country and insisted that African culture should not be submerged by Western sensibilities. He also wrote about societal inequities and human rights violations, and was repeatedly arrested for his criticism of the military.

Fela was also a proponent of marijuana in Africa, which is known as "igbo". He often held public discussions at Afrika Shrine, called "yabis" which was where he would slam officials of the government and share his beliefs on freedom of expression and the beauty of women's bodies. Fela had a harem, a group of young women who performed at his shows and backing his vocally.

He was a dancer

Fela was a master at musical fusion. He incorporated elements of beat music, and highlife to create his own unique style. He influenced a generation of African musicians and was a vocal critic of colonial rule.

Despite being snatched and tortured by the Nigerian military junta, and witnessing his mother killed, Fela refused to leave the country. He died in 1997 of AIDS-related complications.

Fela was a well-known political activist who was critical of the oppressive Nigerian Government and endorsed the principles of Pan Africanism. His albums including 1973's Gentleman focused on fighting oppression from both colonial and government parties. He also promoted black power and criticised Christianity and Islam as non-African imports, which have been used to divide the people of Africa. Shuffering and Smiling is the title track from the album released in 1978. It describes crowded public buses full of working poor people, "shuffering and smiling". Fela was a fierce anti-religious hypocrisy. Fela's dancers were also an excellent complement to his music. They were sensual, vibrant, and regal. Their contributions to the performances were as significant as the words of Fela.

He was a militant in the political arena.

Fela Kuti was a militant who used music to challenge unjust authority. He transformed his knowledge of American jazz and funk to African rhythms and modes making an ear that was ready for a fight. Most of his songs begin as slow-burning instrumentals. He layers little notes, riffs and other elements until they explode with urgency.

In contrast to many artists who were hesitant to speak out about their politics, Fela was fearless and uncompromising. He stood in the cause he believed in, even when it was risky. His mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, was an avowed feminist who was the leader of the Nigerian Women's movement. His father was a protestant minister as well as the president of the teachers union.

He also founded Kalakuta Republic - a recording studio and commune that grew into an emblem of the resistance. The government raided Kalakuta's Republic which destroyed property and injured Fela. He refused to give up, however, and continued to speak against the government. He passed away in 1997 of complications related to AIDS. He was succeeded by his son, Femi, who continues to carry on his music and political legacy.





He was a father

Music is often thought of as a form of political protest, with musicians using lyrics to solicit change. However, some of the most powerful music-related protests don't rely on words in any way. Fela Kuti was one of them, and his music continues to ring out to this day. He was the first to pioneer Afrobeat music, which combines traditional African rhythms and harmony with hip-hop and jazz that was inspired by artists like James Brown.

Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was Fela's activist mother. She was a unionist and opposed colonialism. She helped form the Abeokuta Women's Union and fought against gender-discriminatory taxation laws. She also studied Marxism and believed that Nigeria should serve its all citizens.

Fela's son Seun is continuing his father's legacy through a band called Egypt 80 that's touring the world this year. The band's music combines the sounds and politics of Fela's era with a searing denunciation of the same power structures that continue to exist today. The album, Black Times, will be released in March. Many fans paid their respects at the funeral in Tafawa Balewa square. The crowd was so huge that the police had to block the entrance.