sometimes it strikes me -

Browsing pages online, I happened on an advertisement for fairly traded 'Tuareg sterling hoop earrings'. I clicked and a new page opened, revealing a familiar image. My fingers strayed slowly upward and gently touched the piece of jewelry dangling from my ear. The earrings I am wearing are virtually identical to the ones available online, the key difference being that I purchased my earrings directly from a trader from Niger during my time in Nigeria. And I find myself thinking how very strange it is that one can order something online from a place one has never been and may never go.

words from a wise woman

"All sanity depends on this: that it should be a delight to feel heat strike the skin, a delight to stand upright, knowing the bones are moving easily under the flesh." - Doris Lessing -

"It is not simply what one remembers, but why. There are sites of amputation where the past is severed from the body of the present. Remembering only encourages the growth of phantom limbs. And it is not simply what one remembers, or why, but what to do with what one remembers, which of the scattered pieces to carry forward, what to protect and preserve, what to leave behind."

-Camilla Gibb, 'Sweetness in the Belly' p. 164 -

You no go die - Fela Kuti

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the death of Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Fela is considered by many (myself included) to be the Father of Afrobeat.

"Afrobeat originated from the southern part of Nigeria in the 60s where Kuti experimented with many different forms of contemporary music of the time. Prevalent in his music are native African harmonies and rhythms, taking different elements and combining, modernizing and improvising upon them. Politics are essential to the genre of Afrobeat, since founder Kuti was deeply concerned in social criticism to pave way for social change. His message can be described as confrontational and controversial, which can be related to the political climate of most of the African countries in the 60s, many of which were dealing with political injustice and military corruption while recovering from the transition from colonial governments to self-determination." [Source: Afrobeat - Wikipedia]

Fela was not only a talented and brilliant musician but also an outspoken critic of the Nigerian government and an activist. Many of the issues Fela highlighted in his music remain relevant today. Corruption, fraud, poverty, oppression, nepotism, exploitation (by both domestic and international players) and other negative forces continue to plague Nigeria and its citizenry. For example, the federal and state elections in April 2007 were anything but free and fair, involved widespread rigging and other 'electoral malpractices', and forced many to conclude that the elections were a farce. [Source: An Election Programmed to Fail - a report by the Transition Monitoring Group, Nigeria.] I am certain that Fela would have had many things to say and sing about this.

Although Fela has left us in body, his spirit lives on through his music and in the hearts and minds of his many fans. Additionally, Fela's sons, Seun and Femi, have carried on their father's musical legacy, adding their own unique voices and talents to the mix.

For an enlightening account of the man and the legend, Fela Kuti, follow the links included below:

* 'He was in a godlike state' - The Guardian
* Fela Kuti's Nigeria: 10 years on - BBC News online
* Fela Kuti Lyrics