Fela Ransome-Kuti
In addition to being a musician, Fela was a political activist and 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 that were intended as political attacks against the Nigerian government and a world order that systematically exploited Africa. His music was uncompromisingly revolutionary.
Fela Ransome Kuti was born Abeokuta
In the 1970s and 1980s, Fela Ransome-Kuti became known for his abrasive musical style and rebellious political statements. Many of his songs were direct criticisms against the Nigerian government, specifically the military dictatorships that ruled the country in those years. He also criticised his fellow Africans who backed these dictatorships. Fela's rebellion against oppressive governments cost him dearly. He was arrested, beaten and even jailed several times. In fact, he has claimed to be "a prisoner of the Kalakuta Republic." He also established his own political party, the Movement for the Advancement of the People MOP, also known as MOP.
Her mother was Funmilayo Runsome-Kuti known as a well-known feminist leader and women's rights activist. She was a teacher as well as was a member of the Abeokuta Women's Union. She also assisted in organising the first preschool classes of Abeokuta. She was a suffragist and was active in the Nigerian Independence Movement. She was a close relative of the writer and Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka.
Ransome-Kuti was a proponent of Pan-Africanism, and was a strong socialist. She was a strong supporter of socialism and federal employers’ liability (
richards-kenny.thoughtlanes.net) Pan-Africanism. Ransome-Kuti was influenced by Malcolm X, Eldridge Clever and the Black Power Movement. She was also a participant of the African Renaissance movement.
The music of Fela was able, despite his opposition to the oppressive Nigerian Government and Western culture, to garner an international fan base. His music incorporated elements of Afrobeat rock, rock, and jazz and was heavily inspired by the beats of American jazz clubs. He was a fierce anti-racism activist.
Fela's rebellion in Nigeria against the government led to numerous arrests and beatings. However, it did not stop him from continuing to tour the United States and Europe. In 1984, he was snatched by the military and arrested under questionable charges. The incident prompted international human rights groups to intervene, and the government backed down. Kuti however, he continued to record and perform up until his death in 1998. He was buried at Kalakuta Cemetery, Abeokuta. The Fela Museum is located in the city.
He was a musician
Fela, a passionate Pan-Africanist, believed in making music a tool of social protest. Utilizing his funk-infused Afrobeat style, he decried the Nigerian government while inspiring activists across the globe. Fela was born in 1938 in Abeokuta, Nigeria. He was the son of Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, an anticolonialist and leader of the Nigerian women’s movement. His mother was also a physician and anti-colonialist as were his grandparents. The main goal of Fela's life was to fight for the rights and freedoms of those who were oppressed.
Fela began his career in musician in the year 1958, after the time he quit medical school. He was determined to pursue his passion for the music. He started out playing highlife, a cult music genre that blends traditional African rhythms with Western instruments, as well as jazz. He formed his first group in London where he was able to develop his skills. When he returned to Nigeria he developed Afrobeat which combined danceable beats and lyrics written in agitprop. The new sound became popular in Nigeria and across the continent, becoming one of the most influential forms of African music.
Fela's political activism in the 1970s led him into direct conflict with Nigerian regimes. The regime was frightened by his music's ability to inspire people to stand up against their oppressors and change the status quo. Fela, despite repeated attempts to silence his music continued to create fierce and danceable music until the end of his life. He died of complications related to AIDS in 1997.
While Fela was alive, lines of people were always in line to see him perform at his nightclub in Lagos known as Afrika Shrine. He also set up an enclave, the Kalakuta Republic, which served as his recording studio, club and spiritual space. The commune was also used as a place for political speeches. Fela often critiqued the Nigerian government and world leaders including U.S. President Ronald Reagan, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and South African Prime Minister P.W. Botha.
His legacy continues to live in spite of his death due complications resulting from AIDS. His Afrobeat style has influenced a variety of artists including Beyonce and Wyclef Jean. Jay Z has also mentioned his influence. He was a mysterious person who was a lover of music women, women and an evening out But his real legacy lies in his tireless efforts to defend 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. He was a master of mixing African culture with American jazz and funk. He also used his music as a means to critique Nigeria's oppressive regime. Despite being the subject of numerous arrests and beatings but He continued to advocate for his beliefs.
Fela was born into the Ransome-Kuti clan, which included anti-colonialists, artists, and artists. His mother Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was a teacher and feminist as was his father Israel Oludotun ransome-kuti, was instrumental in helping create a teachers' union. He was a singer and listened to the traditional songs and the rhythms of highlife, an amalgamation of jazz standards, soul songs and Ghanaian hymns. This music influenced the worldview of Fela, who was determined to bring Africa to the world and the world to Africa.
In 1977, Fela released Zombie, a song that likened policemen to a mindless horde who would obey any order and then savagely attack the public. The song was arouse for the military authorities, who seized the house of Fela and sacked his home. They slayed everyone, including
act fela's children and women. His mother was taken from a window and died the following year of injuries she suffered in the attack.
The invasion fueled Fela’s anti-government activism. He set up a commune and named it the Kalakuta Republic, which doubled as an recording studio. He also formed a party and broke away from the Nigerian government, and his songs started to focus more on social issues. In 1979, he took his mother's coffin to the ruling junta's headquarters in Lagos, and was beaten for his efforts.
Fela was a fierce and unbending warrior who never accepted the status of the game. He knew that he was fighting an opponent that was unjust and inefficient, but he did not give up. He was a symbol of a spirit of indefatigability and, in this way, the man was truly hero. He was a man that was able to overcome all odds and change the course of history. His legacy lives on to this day.
He died in 1997
The passing of Fela was a devastating blow to his fans across the world. He was 58 years old when he died and his funeral was attended by millions of people. His family members claimed that he died of heart failure due to AIDS.
Fela was a key person in the creation of Afrobeat, a genre of music that blended traditional Yoruba rhythms with jazz and American funk.