Fela Kuti: Pioneer of Afrobeat and Nigerian Voice of Resistance

Fela Anikulapo Kuti is a Nigerian artist and political activist. He is revered as the father of Afrobeat and throughout his life, he has been a musical and cultural revolutionary figure. Fela's music and his voice of resistance have surpassed the boundaries of his homeland to become a global symbol. A fleeting glance over his life and work is enough to draw the conclusion that he had an unfathomable power to wield music as a weapon against dilapidated social structure and unjust political arbitrariness. This article sheds light on a mere slice of Fela Kuti's life who has changed the course of world music and political reformation.

Born on October 15, 1938, in Abeokuta, Nigeria, as Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti but this Pan-Africanist is known to the masses as Fela Anikulapo Kuti or Fela Kuti. He hails from an upper-middle-class Nigerian family with his mother Chief Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, and father Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti.

While growing up, having an anti-colonial feminist mother along with a minister and principal father, both of whom played active roles in the anti-colonial movement in Nigeria, Fela was bound to develop an innate sense of justice and freedom. Such an environment of intellectual and political exposure imparted to him the ability to develop his own worldview. In 1958, Fela moved to London to study medicine, which was what his parents wished for him. Despite the initial acceptance of his parents' wish, he couldn't refuse his call to music. Eventually, leaving medicine behind, started his pursuit of music.

Fela admitted himself to the Trinity College of Music, and there he formed his first band, Koola Lobitos. Their music blended jazz with highlife, a popular West African music genre. This was his first step into the contemporary music scene and also the beginning of his extensive experimentation in search of his own sound staying true to his African roots.

Encouraged by his father, Fela Kuti learned to play multiple instruments like saxophone, piano, trumpet, and occasionally drums. He grew up with his father's belief, "Education is not complete without the knowledge of music," and this mindset was always with him in his pursuit of generic sound. Yet, his parents were not in the same boat as him when it came to his choice of music. His mother wanted him to play music that everyone could understand, not jazz.

And here, we get a glimpse of who Fela truly is as a musician, and as an individual. He could have achieved mainstream success by making mainstream music. But he almost didn't care, commercial success was not what he sought. He sought Groove. The Intricate structure of his songs and the usual length of each track were his declaration of artistic freedom. By virtue of this stubbornness, at the peak of his career, he was known as one of Africa's most "challenging and charismatic music performers".

The crucial breakthrough in his career occurred in the late 1960s. Fela Kuti successfully combined traditional African music with Jazz, funk, and highlife and developed Afrobeat. As a genre, Afrobeat is characterized by its complex polyrhythms, extended instrumental jams, and chanted vocals. In the later years, many artists and bands adopted the ideas of Afrobeat and carried on the legacy left by Fela.

Parallel to his relentless musical endeavor another central motif of his life was being nurtured in him as well. Before his Afrobeat era, when he returned to Nigeria, Fela returned with a renewed sense of purpose. In 1969, Fela spent ten months in Los Angeles with his band. There he came across the Black Power movement. The Black Power movement flourished in the 1960s and 1970s and this left a profound impact on Fela when he witnessed the Civil rights struggle in the US. This is where he encountered James Brown, an American singer, dancer, and an important American influence on Kuti's musical style.

Upon returning to Nigeria, his music became a powerful tool for his political activism. He reformed the band and changed its name. The tone in his music shifted and the lyrics spoke of socio-political issues of both Nigeria and Africa. His voice of resistance reverberated beyond Africa. His stern position against the corruption of Nigerian government officials drew both amicable and inimical attention to him. Corruption, oppression, colonialism, and many other relevant issues were at the core of his music. Songs like 'Zombie,' 'Shakara,' and 'Sorrow, Tears, and Blood' are still relevant in 21st-century Africa.

In the '70s, Fela formed the Kalakuta Republic. It served as his recording studio and a place for his family. This accommodated many people who were associated with the band in one way or the other. Kalakuta was not just a residence; it was a cultural and political hub free of any political restraints. In this place, Fela could express his ideas freely and challenge the autocracy.

Fela took a bold step and declared the Kalakuta Republic as an independent state. Members of this community faced frequent raids, as the government wasn't pleased with Fela's activism and the growing popularity of his music. Being outspoken and defiant to the Nigerian authorities had already made him a target. This resulted in clashes between Fela and the governing regime of Nigeria. The situation got out of hand when 1000 soldiers raided his place, beat Fela and they even threw Fela's mother out of the window. They burned the place down along with his instruments and recordings. These barbaric actions were taken in response to Fela's album Zombie (1977) where he had criticized Nigerian military methods.

Fela Kuti was undeterred through all these acts of violence against him. He always had his weapons - his voice, his music. His albums were grabbing mass attention and enraging the government in the process. Each of his albums throughout the 1980s and 1990s, was a mockery of contemporary political issues in Fela's own characteristic blend of wit, anger, and musical brilliance.

Fela Kuti's life tells a story of the inherent power of music and how it can bring in social change. His incessant activism and groundbreaking musical innovations have left a timeless mark on the world. Fela realized the bigger picture of life, music, and politics. His Afrobeat was a movement; it was a voice for the voiceless and oppressed people of Africa. This is the reason why Fela's legacy will continue among us.