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
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