I’ll rip my ears away from between these speakers very briefly to reflect on someone very influential to Nigeria, to Africa and the world at large. Fela Anikulapo-Kuti born October 15, 1938 lived, in my opinion, a fulfilled life. He went through much of his life voicing the deep resentments of a people against their government defiantly on stage; using music as a weapon and not giving a heck about the consequences, especially in the face of the ruthless military regimes that prevailed at the time.
His music echoed the feelings of millions; from the direct challenges voiced in Army Arrangement and Beast of No Nation to the heavy drums and blaring horns that accompanied chants of Eko Ile and the soothing mellow tones that wrap around you in Water No Get Enemy; Fela’s music still remains a constant wake up call to millions who remember the ills of the past and continues to inspire upcoming generations with a steady reminder of what they must aspire to.
Fela died 11 years ago today; leaving a deep void in the hearts of Afrobeat lovers the world over. One of my greatest regrets is still never having a chance to watch him perform live. In his own words “Music is the weapon of the future” so if you don’t mind terribly, I’ll just get back to one full day of strictly Afrobeat music. Easy…
