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"Ask Me Anything": Ten Responses To Your Questions About Fela
Fela Kuti

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

His songs are often 20 minutes long or longer and are performed in a slurred Pidgin English that is almost incomprehensible. His music is heavily influenced by Christian hymns, jazz, classical music, Yoruba music, chant, and horn-and-guitar heavy highlife.

He was a musician

Fela Kuti embodied that music can be a tool to transform the world. He used his music to advocate for changes in the political and social spheres and his influence is present in the world in the present. His style of music, Afrobeat, is a combination of African and Western influences. Its origins lie in West-African high-life music and funk however, it has evolved into its own style.

His political activism was intense and he took action without fear. He used his music to speak out against corruption in government and human rights violations. Songs such as "Zombie", "Coffin for the State Head" and others were blatant criticisms of Nigeria's dictatorship. He also used his residence, Kalakuta Republic, as an enclave 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 prominent activist and feminist pioneer. Shantel Cribbs portrays her, and she does a fantastic job of capturing the importance she played in Fela's life. The play also focuses on her political involvement. Despite her deteriorating condition, she refused to undergo tests for AIDS. Instead, she chose traditional treatment.

He was a singer

Fela Ransome Kuti was a complex individual who utilized music to bring about political change. He is known as the originator of afrobeat, an invigorating hybrid of dirty funk and traditional African rhythms. He was also a constant critic of Nigeria's political and religious leaders.

Having been raised by an anti-colonial suffragist mom It's no surprise that Fela was a fan of politics and social commentary. His parents wanted him to be medical doctor however, he had other plans.

While he started in a more apolitical highlife vein, a trip to America could alter his perspective forever. His music was profoundly affected by his exposure to Black Power movements and leaders like Eldridge Clever and Malcolm X. He adopted a Pan-Africanism ideology that would guide and inform his later work.

He was a music producer

While in the United States Fela was introduced to Black Power activists such as Stokely Carmichael and Malcolm X. This led him to form a political group called the Movement of the People and write songs that expressed the ideas he had about activism and black awareness. His philosophical ideas were aired in public through the method of yabis, which is a form of public speaking that he dubbed 'freedom of expression'. He also started to impose an ethical code of conduct on his band. This included refusing to take medication from Western-trained doctors.

After returning to Nigeria Fela began building his own club, the Shrine in Ikeja. The snares of officers and police were nearly constant. His Mosholashi-Idi Oro hangers repopulated the area around the club with drugs of all kinds particularly "bana" and "yamuna" (heroin). However, Fela maintained an uncompromising integrity. His music is a testament of his determination to challenge authority and demanding that the popular goals are reflected in official goals. It is an influence that will last for generations.

He was a poet

In his music, Fela used light-hearted sarcasm to draw attention to political and economic issues in Nigeria. He also mocked his fans as well as the government and himself. He also referred to himself in these shows as "the big dick on the small pond." The authorities did not take his jokes lightly and he was often detained and detained, as well as beaten by the authorities. He eventually adopted the name Anikulapo, meaning "he has death in his pocket."

In 1977, Fela recorded a song called "Zombie," which compared soldiers to zombies who obeyed orders without hesitation. This irritated the military who seized the Kalakuta Republic, burning it down and beating its inhabitants. During the raid, Fela's mother was thrown out of her second-floor window.

Fela developed Afrobeat in the decades that followed the country's independence. Afrobeat is a music genre that combines jazz and indigenous African rhythm. His songs criticized European cultural imperialism and defended African traditional religions and cultures. He also criticized fellow Africans who sabotaged their country's customs. He also stressed the importance of human rights and freedom.

He was a rapper

A trumpeter, saxophonist, composer and pioneer of the Afrobeat genre, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was born in 1938 in Abeokuta, Nigeria. He grew up with jazz music, rock and roll and traditional African music and chants which helped shape his style of music. After his trip to the United States in 1969, Fela met Sandra Smith, an activist from the Black Power movement and her ideas influenced his work dramatically.

After his return to Nigeria, Fela began using his music as a political tool. He was critical of the government in his home country and argued that African culture should not be diluted by Western sensibilities. He also wrote about social injustices and human right abuses. He was repeatedly detained for his criticism of the military.

Fela also openly advocated the use of marijuana, referred to as "igbo" in Africa. He also held "yabis" (public discussions) at Afrika Shrine where he would ridicule government officials and express his views on freedom of expression and beauty of women's bodies. Fela also had an entourage of women in his youth, who performed at his shows and also served as vocal backups to his vocalists.

He was a dancer

Fela was a master of musical fusion, combining elements from jazz, beat music, and highlife to create his own distinctive style. He influenced generations of African musicians and was an outspoken critic of colonial rule.

Fela refused to leave, despite being tortured and arrested by the Nigerian military junta as having witnessed the murder of his mother. He died in 1997 from AIDS-related complications.

Fela was an activist in the political arena who was a critic of the oppressive Nigerian government and embraced the principles of Pan Africanism. His albums, including 1973's Gentleman focused on the issue of oppression by both colonial and government parties. He also promoted black power and criticized Christianity and Islam as non-African imports that have been used to divide the people of Africa. Shuffering and Smiling is the title track of an album from 1978. It describes crowded public transports filled with people who are poor, "shuffering and smiling". Fela was a fierce enemy of religious hypocrisy. His dancers were a great complement to his music. They were vivacious, sensual, and elegant. Their contributions were as important as Fela's words.

He was a political militant


Fela Kuti was an activist who utilized music to challenge unjust authority. He steered his knowledge of American jazz and funk towards African modes and rhythms, creating a sound that is braced for a fight. The majority of his songs begin as slow instrumentals, gradually adding short-lined melodies and riffs until they explode with a ferocious vigor.

Contrary to the majority of artists, who were afraid to expose their political beliefs, Fela was fearless and uncompromising. He stood for his beliefs even when it was dangerous to do so. 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 and the head of the teachers' union.

fela lawsuits founded Kalakuta Republic, a commune and recording studio that was an emblem of resistance. The government raided the Kalakuta Republic, destroying property and severely injured Fela. He refused to back down however, and continued to voice his opinion 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 musical and political legacy.

He was a father

Music is often seen as a form of political protest, and musicians use lyrics to call for change. However, some of the most powerful music-related protests do not use words in any way. Fela Kuti is one of these artists, and his music still rings today. He was the first to pioneer Afrobeat that combines traditional African harmonies and rhythms with funk and jazz being influenced by artists such as James Brown.

Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was Fela's activist mother. She was a unionist and fought colonialism. She helped form the Abeokuta Women's Union and fought against gender-discriminatory taxation laws. She also studied marxism and believed in the idea of a Nigeria that served its the entire population.

Fela's son Seun is continuing his father's work, with a band called Egypt 80 that's touring the world this year. The band's music combines the sounds and politics of Fela's time with a searing denunciation of the same power structures that are still in place in the present. The album, Black Times, will be released in March. Thousands of fans attended the funeral in Tafawa Balewa square. The crowd was so big that the police had to shut down the entrance.