• 목록
• 답변
• 글쓰기
• 게시판 리스트 옵션
  • 수정
  • 삭제

Fela Kuti

Fela is a man with contradictions. That's why he's so fascinating. People who love him will overlook his shortcomings.

His songs can last longer than 20 minutes and are sung in a dense, almost unintelligible Pidgin English. His music is inspired by Christian hymns and classical music, jazz, Yoruba music, chant, and horn-and-guitar heavy highlife.

He was a musician

Fela Kuti embodied that music can be a tool to change the world. He made use of his music to push for changes in the political and social spheres, and his influence is still felt in the world even today. Afrobeat is a musical style that combines African and Western influences. Its roots lie in West-African high-life and funk, but it has since developed into its own genre.

His political activism was ferocious and unflinching. He used his music as a protest against corruption in the government and human right abuses. Songs such as "Zombie" and "Coffin for the Head of State" were daring criticisms of the Nigerian regime. He also used Kalakuta as a place to connect with like-minded individuals and to promote political activism.

The production features a huge portrait of his mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, who was a prominent activist and feminist pioneer. Shantel Cribbs portrays her and she does an excellent job of capturing the importance she played in Fela's life. The play also highlights her political activism. Despite her declining health she was unable to get tested for AIDS and instead chose traditional treatment.

He was a singer

Fela Ransome-Kuti was a complex man who employed his music to effect political change. He is known for creating afrobeat - a fusion of funk and dirty African rhythms. He was a fervent critic of Nigeria's governmental and religious leaders.

Being raised by an anti-colonial suffragist mom, it is no surprise that Fela was a fan of social commentary and politics. His parents believed that he would become a doctor however, there were other goals for him.

While he began in a more apolitical highlife style, a trip to America changed his outlook forever. His music was greatly influenced by his exposure to Black Power movements and the leadership like Eldridge Clever and Malcolm X. He developed a philosophy of Pan-Africanism, that would influence and guide his later work.

He was a songwriter

Fela encountered Black Power activists such as Stokely Carmichael, and Malcolm X while in the United States. The experience inspired him to start an activist movement known as the Movement of the People, and to write songs that reflected his views on black and political consciousness. His ideas were expressed through the way of yabis, an art of public speaking which is referred to as "freedom of expression". He also began to establish an uncompromising code of ethics for his band, including refusing to take medications from doctors trained in the West.

Fela returned to Nigeria and started building his own club in Ikeja. The police and military officials were all the time. Mosholashi-Idi-Oro's hangers-on repopulated the area around the club with hard drugs, particularly 'bana' and 'yamuna' (heroin). However, Fela was a man of uncompromising integrity. His music is a testimony to the determination with which he fought authority and demanded that the desires of the masses be reflected in official goals. It is a remarkable legacy that will last for generations to be.

He was a poet

In his music, Fela used light-hearted sarcasm to discuss political and economic issues in Nigeria. He also poked fun at his audience, the government, and even himself. In these shows, he would refer to himself as "the big fish in the small pond." These jokes were not taken lightly by the authorities, and he suffered repeated arrests and imprisonments, as well as beatings at the hands of authorities. He was eventually given the name Anikulapo which means "he is carrying his death in his pouch."

In 1977, Fela released a song called "Zombie" in which he compared soldiers to mindless zombies who followed orders without asking questions. The military was offended by this and seized Kalakuta Republic. They burned it down and beat its inhabitants. During the raid, Fela's mother was thrown out of her second-floor window.

In the decades following the independence of Nigeria, Fela created Afrobeat, an genre of music that combines jazz and traditional African rhythm. His songs criticised European cultural imperialism and supported traditional African traditions and religions. He also criticized fellow Africans who violated their country's traditions. He stressed the importance of human rights and freedom.

He was a hip-hop artist

A trumpeter, saxophonist, composer and pioneer of the Afrobeat genre, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was born in 1938 in Abeokuta, Nigeria. He grew up with jazz music, rock and roll and traditional African music and chants which helped form his unique style of music. After a trip to the United States in 1969, Fela met Sandra Smith, an activist from the Black Power movement, and her ideas impacted his work dramatically.

After his return to Nigeria, fela lawsuits began using his music as a political tool. He criticized the government of his home country and insisted that African culture should not be diluted by Western sensibilities. He also wrote about societal injustices and human rights violations and was frequently detained for his criticism of the military.

Fela also openly advocated the use of marijuana, known as "igbo" in Africa. He often held public debates at Afrika Shrine, which he referred to as "yabis", in which he would ridicule officials of the government and share his beliefs about freedom of expression and the beauty of women's bodies. Fela had Harems, which was a group of women who performed at his shows as well as backing him vocally.

He was a dancer

Fela was a master at musical fusion. He incorporated elements of jazz, beat music, and highlife to create his own distinctive style. He influenced a generation of African musicians and was an outspoken critic of colonial rule.

Despite being tortured and arrested by the Nigerian military junta and witnessing his mother be killed, Fela refused to leave the country. He died of complications due to AIDS in 1997.

Fela was a prominent political activist who criticized the oppressive Nigerian Government and endorsed the principles Pan Africanism. His albums, such as 1973's Gentleman focused on the oppression of both the government and colonial forces. He also promoted black-power and criticised Christianity, Islam and other non-African influences for dividing the people of Africa. The title track on the album from 1978, Shuffering and Shmiling, describes the over-crammed public busses full of poor people "shuffering and shmiling." Fela was a fierce opponent of religious hypocrisy. His dancers were an excellent match for his music. They were vibrant, sensual and regal. Their contributions were as significant as Fela's lyrics.

He was an activist for the political cause.

Fela Kuti was an activist who utilized music to challenge the unjust authority. He took his knowledge of American jazz and funk towards African modes and rhythms, resulting in music that is ready for a fight. The majority of his songs begin as slow instrumentals, gradually layering small riffs and melodies until they explode in a flash of vigor.

Contrary to the majority of artists, who were hesitant to speak out about their politics, Fela was fearless and unbending. He stood up for what he believed in even when it was risky. His mother, Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, was an avowed feminist who led the Nigerian Women's movement. His father was a protestant minister and the president of the teachers union.

He also established Kalakuta Republic, a commune and recording studio that was an expression of resistance. The government seized the commune, destroying the property and injured Fela badly. He refused to relent however, and continued to protest against the government. He passed away in 1997 of complications arising from AIDS. He was succeeded by his son, Femi, who continues to carry on his music and political legacy.

He was a father

Music is often viewed by many as a form of political protest. Musicians use lyrics to call for change. Some of the most powerful music demonstrations aren't supported by words. Fela Kuti is one the artists mentioned above and his music resonates today. He was the first to pioneer Afrobeat that combines traditional African harmonies and rhythms with jazz and funk, in the style of artists like James Brown.

Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was Fela's activist mother. She was a unionist and fought colonialism. She helped form the Abeokuta Women's Union and fought against gender-discriminatory taxation laws. She also studied marxism and believed in a Nigeria that was serving its all of its citizens.

Fela's son Seun continues his father's legacy, through the band Egypt 80 that's touring the world this year. The Egyptian 80's music blends the sound of Fela and a scathing critique of the power structures that exist in the present. The new album, Black Times, will be released in March. Thousands of fans gathered to pay their respects at the funeral at Tafawa Balewa square. The crowd was so huge, that police had to block the entrance.