Fela lied his mum was not thrown out of from window. Fela s mother, funmilayo ransome kuti, was a foremost womens rights activist and nationalist who, in the 1940s, led a series of landmark protests against separate tax rates for. The very literal story behind expensive shit is mindboggling to the extent that it would be funny were. These days in nigeria funmilayo ransome kuti is often remembered as mama fela, the mother of afrobeat legend, band leader and activist fela anikulapo kuti. The cuban ethnologist carlos moore spent hours interviewing fela and produced an overview of fela s life and values that fela authorized. Remi taylor kuti, the widow of afrobeat legend, fela kuti and mother of their musician son, femi, has died at home in lagos, following a brief illness, the family said yesterday.
To give proper weight to the sheer immensity of this experience the making, and remaking of fela. These included the authoring of afrocentric books on poetry. Original, musical, broadway opened in new york city nov 23, 2009 and played through jan 2, 2011. Following the funeral, fela carried her coffin, in a long. In 1981 fela changed the groups name for the last time to egypt 80. First and foremost, it was the home of his political idol, the late kwame nkrumah. Fela kuti was born on october 15, 1938, in abeokuta, nigeria. Chief funmilayo ransomekuti, mon otherwise known as funmilayo anikulapo kuti, was a.
Some say she was killed by obasanjo, nigerias former president when he ruled as military head of state, others say she died from injuries sustained as she was thrown from the first floor of kalakutas repulic fela s home with all. Kalakuta notes is an evocative account of fela kuti the afrobeat superstar who took african music into the arena of direct action. He was all that, as well as showman par excellence, inventor of afrobeat, an unredeemable sexist, and a moody megalomaniac. This is the first book about fela kuti written by someone who actually lives in africa and provides many insights not found in the other biographies. Inspired by her son fela, who had altered his surname to reflect a discarding of colonial european influences, ransome kuti informally changed her surname to anikulapo kuti during the early 1970s. Mistake live at the berlin jazz festival 1978 zombie. Fela kuti was born olufela olusegun oludotun ransome kuti also known as fela anikulapo kuti, or simply fela on october 15, 1938, in abeokuta, nigeria. Fela s ailing mother, nigerias foremost anticolonial nationalist and feminist, was tossed from a secondfloor window. There were so many controversies that surrounded the death of fela s mother, funmilayo ransome kuti.
Over a thousand nigerian soldiers assaulted fela kutis. Fela kuti built his music around a distrust of nigerias elites. Fela is a biography of the nigerian musician and political activist fela kuti, originally published in 1982. The last words of fela anikulapo kuti the chimurenga chronic. Beginning in the 1960s, kuti pioneered his own unique style of music called afrobeat. Official explanations for the raid were cynically off hand, which angered fela even. Afrobeats master on hugh masekela, damon albarn and friction with fela kuti robin denselow. Search the worlds most comprehensive index of fulltext books. Google doodle salutes fela kutis mum, funmilayo ransome. The life and times of an african musical icon veal, michael on. July 27, 2000 banning eyre reports on the legacy of nigerian bandleader and activist fela kuti. One of africas most acclaimed musicians, nigerian fela anikulapo kuti 19381997 wrote and performed political protest songs that won him a large following both at home and abroad, to the frequent chagrin of government authori.
His mother, funmilayo, was a feminist activist and an anticolonialist who became the first woman to drive a car in nigeria. Fela kuti biography facts, childhood, family life of. Kuti was the son of feminist and labour activist funmilayo ransome kuti. Fela in his life time was never a good bedfellow of the military institution. Pdf fela the black president as grist to the mill of the black. In 2008, an offbroadway production of kutis life, entitled fela. Fela this bitch of a life digs deep to unearth many previously hidden aspects of this complex man who died of aids in 1997 after a tumultuous life of musical pioneering. In 1996, keziah jones visited kalakuta republic every day for a week to interview fela anikulapo kuti. He formed his first band in london in 1959 while studying at. Fela s mother was thrown from a window and died soon after. Ransomekutis children included fela anikulapo kuti, a musician and activist.
Musician and activist fela kuti pioneered afrobeat music and was repeatedly arrested and beaten for writing lyrics that questioned the nigerian. Fela kuti was nearly beaten to death, and his studio, recording equipment, and his bands master tapes were burned. This bitch of a life by carlos moore, began with a collaborative workshop between the afrobeat band antibalas and tony awardwinner bill t. His father, reverend israel oludotun ransome kuti, was a protestant minister and school principal and also the first president of the nigerian union of teachers 3.
He is the eldest son of afrobeat pioneer fela kuti and a grandchild of political campaigner, womens rights activist and traditional aristocrat funmilayo ransome kuti. The primary man of an african personality, is a screenplay. The album was a scathing attack on nigerian soldiers using the zombie metaphor to describe the methods of the nigerian military. An african feminist analysis of fela s lady this post is in remembrance of the legendary fela anikulapo kuti, deceased on this day in 1997. In 2008, an offbroadway production of kuti s life, entitled fela. Zombie 197677 by fela kuti, released 14 september 2010 1. Fela kuti, nigerian musician and activist who launched a modern style of music called afrobeat, which fused american blues, jazz, and funk with traditional yoruba music.
Olufela olufemi anikulapo kuti born 16 june 1962, popularly known as femi kuti, is a nigerian musician born in london and raised in lagos. Fela anikulapo kuti and egypt 80 beasts of no nation, live at the zenith, paris in 1984 duration. A major theme in this book is fela kuti s ghanaian connection. Pdf on november 23, 2009, fela anikulapo kuti, who created the music genre afrobeat, was. Death and the legacy of fela kuti death and the legacy. The brother of one of africas greatest musicians, fela kuti, has testified at a human rights hearing in lagos that the nigerian president, olusegan obasanjo, was to blame for an army raid on the. Fela s mother was not thrown out of from window according to chief o.
From west africa to west broadway, a book edited by trevor schoonmaker. All contemporary forms of black music, from funk to electronic, owe something to the irresistible groove. He was known as fela ransome kuti until about 1978, when he renamed himself fela anikulapo kuti, the middle name meaning he who carries death in his pouch. I have mixed feelings about this book and while any book about fela kuti is to be welcomed, i dont think this is the definitive one and i do think that fela s legacy. During the raid, fela s mother, funmilayo, who was then around 75 years old, was thrown from a first floor window by an unknown soldier. Its difficult to say for what fela, born olufela olusegun oludotun ransomekuti, was best known. The primary man of an african personality by jawi oladipoola this book is a dramatic presentation of felasophy, a total reawakening into the inhumanity against humanity. Fela s mother, funmilayo ransome kuti, was a leading figure in the nationalist struggle of nigerian people and anticolonial movement. With his antiestablishment songs, he dedicated himself to panafricanism and the downtrodden nigerian masses, or sufferheads. When the soldiers captured his mother, they threw the elderly woman off a building, severely wounding her, and soon after, she died in a coma from the injuries. Now theyre the audience for the musical about his life.
The chiefs account goes contrary to what is found in wellacclaimed books. The album was a smash hit with the people and infuriated the government, setting off a vicious attack against the kalakuta republic a commune that fela had established in nigeria, during which one thousand soldiers attacked the commune. This book contains a lot of interesting information concerning fela kutifamily background, historical, cultural and political environment but sometimes i had the. Fela kuti is to african music what bob marley is to reggae. Fela anikulapo kuti 15 october 1938 2 august 1997, also professionally known as fela kuti. Its almost impossible to overstate the impact and importance of fela anikulapo ransome kuti or just fela as hes more commonly known to the global musical village. A look back over a seminal career that encompassed political dissidence, ufo contact, chicken sacrifice and some of. Fela kuti nigerian musician and activist britannica.
Its been 22 years since nigerian pioneer of the afrobeat music genre and human rights activist, fela anikulapo kuti, passed away on august 3, 1997, but his musical legacy lives on, as well as, his music temple named the shrine fela was born olufela olusegun oludotun ransome kuti on october 15, 1938, to mother chief funmilayo ransome kuti and father reverend israel oludotun ransome kuti. Fela anikulapo kuti born 1938 in abeokuta, nigeria began his career playing jazz and highlife. The production was a massive success, selling out performances during its run, and. Inside fela kutis shrine, one of the worlds most sacred. Generally the biography proceeds in the first person, a sign that it was transcribed from interviews. However, an america author, who wrote a book on fela, argued that the soldiers did not really kill fela s mother, adding that she died months after they threw her from a. As a political activist, he believed the army should operate under the mandate of a civil government. Fela kuti built his music around a distrust of nigerias.
1207 492 692 609 171 1320 833 263 881 24 1372 816 1605 56 1275 766 1275 246 340 353 252 1225 863 432 1583 306 1493 1301 558 1283 455 1433 225 1441 1244 154 258 432