Fela Ransome-Kuti
Fela, a musician and political activist who was also a pan-Africanist. fela railroad accident lawyer was a strong advocate for African culture, and was influenced by Black Power. He travelled to Ghana and discovered new musical influences.
He wrote songs that were designed to be political slams against the Nigerian government and a global order that routinely exploited Africa. His music was radical and uncompromising.
Fela Ransome Kuti was born Abeokuta
Fela ransome-Kuti was famous in the 1970s and 1980s for his rebellious political views and abrasive music. Many of his songs were direct critiques of the Nigerian government and the military dictatorships that ruled the nation in those days. He also criticised fellow Africans who backed these dictatorships. Fela's rebellion against oppressive governments cost him dearly. He was beaten, arrested and even jailed several times. In fact, he has declared himself "a prisoner of the Kalakuta Republic." He also established his own political party, the Movement for the Advancement of the People or MOP.
Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was Fela's mother. She was a feminist leader and women rights activist who is famous throughout the world. She was an active member of the Abeokuta Women's Union and worked as an educator. She also assisted in the organization of some of the first preschool classes in Abeokuta. She was a suffragist, and was a part of the Nigerian Independence Movement. She was a close kin to writer and Nobel laureate Wole SOYINKA.
Ransome-Kuti was a proponent of Pan-Africanism and was a staunch socialist. She was a proponent of the preservation of traditional African beliefs and practices and opposed European cultural imperialism. Ransome-Kuti was influenced in her work by the Black Power movement and the works of Malcolm X and Eldridge Cleaver. She was also a participant of the African Renaissance movement.
Fela's music was able, despite his opposition to the oppressive Nigerian Government and Western culture, to gain a worldwide following. His music incorporated elements from Afrobeat, rock, and jazz and was heavily in the style of American jazz clubs. He was a fervent anti-racism activist.
Fela's rebellion in Nigeria against the government resulted in many arrests and beatings. This did not stop him from traveling the United States and Europe. In 1984, he was once again snubbed by the military government and arrested on dubious charges of currency smuggling. International human rights groups intervened following the incident, and the government was forced to back down. Kuti, however, continued to record and perform until his death in 1998. He was buried in the Kalakuta Cemetery, Abeokuta. The Fela Museum is located in the city.
He was a musician
A fervent Pan-Africanist, Fela was determined to use his music as a form of social protest. He was a critic of the Nigerian Government, while inspiring activists all over the world. Fela was born in 1938 in Abeokuta, Nigeria. He was the son of Funmilayo Runsome-Kuti who was a fervent anticolonialist and leader of the Nigerian women's movement. His mother as well as his grandparents was a physician who was an anti-colonialist. Fela was raised to fight for the rights of oppressed people, and this became his main focus in life.
Fela began his career as a musician in the year 1958 after dropping out of medical school in order to pursue his love of music. He began playing highlife, a cult music genre that fuses traditional African rhythms with Western instruments, as well as jazz. He started his first band in London, where he was able to improve his abilities. On his return to Nigeria he developed Afrobeat which combined danceable beats and lyrics written in agitprop. The new sound was embraced by Nigerians and Africans across the continent. It was one of the most influential styles in African music.
Fela's political activism during the 1970s led him into direct conflict with Nigerian regimes. The regime was concerned that his music would motivate people to fight against their oppressors and also to challenge the status quo. Despite repeated attempts to silence him, Fela continued to make incredible and extremely danceable music until the end of his life. He passed away in 1997 due to complications arising from AIDS.
The nightclub Fela's had in Lagos known as Afrika Shrine was always packed with people. He also established the Kalakuta republic, a commune that was used as his recording studio and club. The commune also served as a venue to hold political speeches. Fela often criticized the Nigerian government and world leaders such as U.S. President Ronald Reagan, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and South African Prime Minister P.W. Botha.
Despite his death from complications related to AIDS, his legacy lives on. His Afrobeat style has influenced a variety of artists, including Beyonce and Wyclef Jean. Jay Z also cites him as a source of inspiration. He was a mysterious person who was passionate about music women, women and having an evening out, but his true legacy lies in his tireless efforts to fight for the marginalized.
He was a Pan-Africanist
The renowned Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and political activist Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was a Pan-Africanist, bringing his unique musical style to the cause of the people. A master of blending elements of African culture with American jazz and funk, he also used his music to criticize the oppressive Nigerian government. Despite being subject to frequent beatings and arrests and beatings, he continued to stand up for and defend his beliefs.
Fela was born into the Ransome-Kuti clan, which included anti-colonialists as well as artists. His mother Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was a educator and feminist as was his father, Israel Oludotun Ransome Kuti helped form the teachers' union. He grew up hearing and singing the classic melodies of highlife, an intermixing of jazz standards, soul ballads and Ghanaian hymns. His worldview was shaped by this musical legacy. He was determined to bring Africa and the world together.
In 1977, Fela released Zombie, a song that likened policemen to a rogue horde who would follow any order, and brutalize the populace. The song irritated military authorities, who surrounded his home and took over his compound. They beat everyone, including Fela's wife and children. His mother was thrown out of the window and died of injuries suffered during the subsequent attack.
The invasion fueled the anti-government activism of Fela. He created a commune and named it the Kalakuta Republic, which doubled as recording studio. He also formed a political party and separated from the Nigerian government, and his songs started to focus more on social issues. In 1979, he carried his mother's coffin to the junta's headquarters in Lagos and was arrested for his actions.
Fela was a fearless and uncompromising warrior who refused to accept the status of the game. He was aware that he was fighting against an unjust power and inefficient, and yet he never gave up. He was the epitome of a spirit that was indefatigable and, in that way, it was truly heroic. He was a man that stood up to the odds and changed the course history. His legacy lives even today.
He died in 1997
The passing of Fela was a sour blow to his many fans around the globe. Millions of people attended his funeral. He was 58 when he passed away. His family claimed that he died of heart failure caused by AIDS.
Fela played a major role in the development and evolution of Afrobeat music which fuses traditional Yoruba rhythms, jazz and American funk. His political activism led to him being taken into custody and beat by the Nigerian police. He refused to be silenced. He urged others to fight the corrupt rule of the Nigerian military regime and advocated Africanism. Fela had a major impact on the Black Power Movement in the United States. This inspired him to continue fighting for Africa.
In his later years Fela was diagnosed with skin lesions and he also lost weight rapidly. These signs clearly indicated that he was suffering from AIDS. He was an AIDS disbeliever and refused treatment, but eventually succumbed to the disease. Fela Kuti's legacy is sure to live on for generations to come.
Kuti's music is a strong political statement that is a challenge to the status quo. He was a revolutionist who wanted to change the way Africans were treated. He used his music as a means of social protest and was a fighter against colonialism. His music had a profound influence on the lives of many Africans and he'll be remembered for that.
Fela collaborated with numerous producers throughout his career to create his unique sound. Some of the producers he worked with included EMI producer Jeff Jarratt, British dub master Dennis Bovell and keyboardist Wally Badarou. His music was a blend of traditional African beats and American funk. This led to him having an international audience. He was a polarizing person in the world of music and often criticized Western culture.
Fela is known for his controversial music and his life style. He smoked marijuana in public and had numerous relationships with women. He was an activist who fought for the rights the poor in Nigeria despite his sexy lifestyle. His music was influential in the lives of a variety of Africans and inspired them to embrace their own culture.