Fela Explained In Less Than 140 Characters
Fela Ransome-Kuti
Fela, an activist and musician was also a Pan-Africanist. He was a supporter of African culture and was influenced by Black Power. He travelled to Ghana where he encountered new music influences and a new direction for his music.
He composed songs meant to be political attacks against the Nigerian government and a global order that was systematically exploiting Africa. His music was radically revolutionary.
Fela Ransome-Kuti was a child of Abeokuta
Fela ransome-Kuti became famous in the 1970s and 1980s for his political views that were wildly out of control and abrasive music. Many of his songs were direct critiques of the Nigerian government and the military dictatorships which took over the country during those years. He also criticized fellow Africans who backed these dictatorships. Fela's rebellion against oppressive governments cost him dearly. He was beaten, arrested and incarcerated numerous times. He once referred to himself as a "prisoner of the Kalakuta Republic" and founded his own political group known as the Movement for the Advancement of the People (MOP).
Fela's mother was Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, a world-recognized feminist leader and rights for women activist. She was a member of the Abeokuta Women's Union and worked as a teacher. She also helped organize the first preschool classes of Abeokuta. She was a suffragist, and was a part of the Nigerian Independence Movement. She was a close kin of writer and Nobel laureate Wole SOYINKA.
Ransome-Kuti was a strong supporter of Pan-Africanism and socialism. She was a staunch supporter of Pan-Africanism and socialism. Ransome-Kuti was influenced by Malcolm X, Eldridge Clever and the Black Power Movement. She was also a member of the African Renaissance movement.
Despite his opposition to Western culture and the oppressive Nigerian government, Fela was able to draw a huge following around the world through his music. His music was influenced by Afrobeat and rock jazz, and was heavily in the style of American jazz clubs. He was a fierce opposition to racism.
The Fela's revolt against the Nigerian government earned him many arrests and beatings. However, it did not stop his desire to continue touring the United States and Europe. In 1984, he was again attacked by the military and arrested on dubious charges of smuggling currency. The incident prompted international human rights groups to intervene, and the government backed down. Kuti however, continued to record and perform until his death in 1998. He was buried at Kalakuta Cemetery, Abeokuta. The city is now home to the Fela Museum.
He was a musician
A passionate Pan-Africanist, Fela was adamant about using his music as a form of social protest. With his funk-driven Afrobeat style, he criticised the Nigerian government and inspired activists across the globe. Fela was a Nigerian born in Abeokuta in 1938. He was the son of Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti who was a fervent anticolonialist and leader of the Nigerian women's movement. His mother was also a physician and anti-colonialist like his grandparents. Fela was taught to fight for the rights of the oppressed and this became his main focus in life.
Fela began his career in the field of music in 1958, after he dropped out of medical school. He wanted to pursue his passion for the music. He started out playing highlife, a popular music genre that blends traditional African rhythms with Western instruments, and jazz. He started his first group in London where he was able to improve his skills. After his return to Nigeria He created Afrobeat which combined agitprop lyrics with danceable rhythms. The new style was adopted by Africans and Nigerians across the continent. It became one of the most influential styles in African music.
In the 1970s the political activism of Fela put him in direct conflict with Nigerian military regimes. The regime was frightened by the power of his music to inspire people to stand up against their oppressors and change the status of the game. Despite numerous attempts to disarm him, Fela continued to make incredible and extremely danceable music until the end of his life. He died in 1997 of complications caused by AIDS.
Fela's nightclub in Lagos called Afrika Shrine was always packed with people. He also established the Kalakuta republic which was a commune that was his recording studio and club. The commune also was a venue for political speeches. Fela was critical of the Nigerian government, as well as world leaders such as Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and P.W. Botha, South African the South African Prime Minister. 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 credits him as an influence. He was an enigmatic figure who was passionate about music women, music and having a good time, but his true legacy lies in his tireless efforts to stand up for the oppressed.
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. He was a master at mixing African culture with American jazz and funk. He also used his music as a method to critique Nigeria's oppressive regime. He continued to speak up and fight for his beliefs despite being often beaten and arrested.
Fela was raised in the Ransome-Kuti clan that included anti-colonialists, artists, and artists. His mother Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was an educator and feminist and his father, Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti, helped form a teachers union. He grew up hearing and singing the traditional tunes of highlife, an intermixing of jazz standards, soul ballads and Ghanaian hymns. This musical heritage shaped the worldview of Fela, who was determined to bring Africa to the world and the world to Africa.
In 1977, Fela recorded Zombie. The song contrasts the police with a mindless group of hordes who would obey orders and savagely attack people. The song enraged the military authorities who surrounded Fela's house and ransacked his compound. They beat everyone including Fela’s children and women. His mother was thrown from a window, and died the following year of injuries she suffered in the assault.
The invasion fueled Fela's anti-government activism. He established a commune and named it the Kalakuta Republic, which doubled as a recording studio. He also founded a party and broke away from the Nigerian government, and his songs began to focus more on social issues. In 1979, he brought his mother's coffin to the headquarters of the junta's ruling party in Lagos and was beaten.
Fela was a fearless and unbending warrior who never accepted the status quo. He knew he was fighting an ineffective and unjust power, but he never gave up. He was a symbol of a spirit that was indefatigable and, in that way, he was truly heroic. He was a man who defied all odds and, in the process changed the course of the history of mankind. His legacy continues to live even today.
He passed away in 1997.
The passing of Fela was a sour blow to his many fans across the globe. He was 58 when he died and his funeral was attended by a large number of people. His family members said he had died of heart failure caused by AIDS.
Fela played a key role in the development and evolution of Afrobeat music which fuses traditional Yoruba rhythms and jazz with American funk. His political activism resulted in arrests and beatings by Nigerian police however he refused to be silenced. He urged others to stand up against the corrupt regime of the Nigerian military regime and proclaimed Africanism. Fela was an influential figure in the Black Power movement in the United States, which inspired him to fight for Africa.
In his later years, Fela suffered from skin swelling and weight loss that was dramatic. These signs were a clear indication that he was suffering from AIDS. He was an AIDS denier and refused treatment, but ultimately passed away from the disease. Fela Kuti will be remembered for generations.
Kuti's songs are a powerful declaration of political opinions that challenge the status quo. He was a revolutionist who wanted to change how Africans were treated. He made use of music to fight colonialism and as a means of social protest. His music was influential in changing the lives of a lot of Africans and his name will be remembered for his contribution to the cause.
Throughout his career, Fela worked with various producers to develop his distinctive 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 mix of traditional African beats, American funk, and jazz, gaining him an international following. He was a polarizing person in the world of music and often criticized Western culture.
Fela was famous for his controversial music and life style. fela claims railroad employees smoked marijuana in public and had many relationships with women. Despite his outrageous life, he was a staunch activist and fought for the rights of the poor in Nigeria. His music was influential in the lives of a variety of Africans and urged them to embrace their own culture.