4.04.2006

Africana Series #2: Fela Anikulapo Kuti

I proceed on this post with the greatest reverence and respect for Fela the musical genius, political activist and freedom fighter. It's kinda hard to respect him for much else, given that he was flawed in many respects too (many fans would disagree with me on this point, given that Fela is like a deity to most people). This excerpt taken from Pot Culture kinda illustrates my point.

"He refused treatment for his deteriorating health, rejecting both Western and traditional Nigerian medical services, but continued using cannabis despite the best efforts of General Bamayi, head of The Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency, who said he hoped to reform Fela's character and wean him away from marijuana. On 9 April, 1997, in a raid on The Shrine, Fela was arrested along with about 100 others, including several of his wives. The zombies had one last go at forcing him to publicly renounce the holy herb, but eventually gave up and released him. "I have been smoking for 40 years," Fela said. "It helps my music. People know I smoke worldwide. It is not drugs, it is grass."

Say
what you will about "Abami Eda" (the weird one), but there's no denying this man's influence on African music. I leave it to Wikipedia to fill you in on the little things since they've got it all there and I can't add much. As a Nigerian, I can personally relate to the significance of his Afrojuju sound (basically, a mix of jazz and highlife, and of course Fela's unique style of looping beats, with songs sometimes running above 20 minutes) and message and I have posted some songs here in the hope that you can draw something from it too. Be warned however that this may make you crave ganga.

Zombie
O.D.O.O
Confusion Break Bone
Shakara

Check out Fela's myspace, written by fans of course.
Also check out Femi Kuti's music, including this live performance at KCRW. Femi is Fela's son and more widely known to the west.
Finally, head to market and buy some Fela cds.

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