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Femi, Seun Kuti Pay Tribute To Father, Fela, On His 25th Death Anniversary
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Femi and Seun Kuti Paid Homage to Fela on the 25th Anniversary of His Death
Today, Tuesday, August 2, 2022, Femi and Seun Kuti, sons of Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti paid tribute to their late father.
On the anniversary of their father’s passing, which was 25 years ago, they posted heartfelt messages and his photos on their individual social media platforms.
Femi Kuti said,
“25 years on, still in our hearts. I miss you more and more. The one and only Abami Eda #FELA. The soul of #Afrobeat.”
Seun Kuti noted,
“25 years ago, you transitioned. Words can’t begin to express how much more alive you have become in spirit, as we continue to strive for the Africa you fought for. We continue to ask that you allow your light to guide our path. Ase!!”
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Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti, also known as Abami Eda, was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, composer, political activist, and Pan-Africanist. He is regarded as the pioneer of Afrobeat, an African music genre that combines West African music with American funk and jazz.
Like Afrobeat itself, Fela’s career took a different route than the one prescribed by Nigerian tradition.
Most crucially, Fela did not receive financial support from the corporate world, political parties, or traditional leaders who would have expected him to repay the favour by singing songs praising their wares, policies, wisdom, or families. At the time, every bandleader in Nigeria either had access to or desired such funding. None of it was desired by Fela.
Following his 1970 return to Nigeria after a ten-month visit to the US, where his American girlfriend Sandra Izsadore had introduced him to the ideas of Malcolm X, Angela Davis, Frantz Fanon and other revolutionary thinkers, he set out to use his music as a “weapon” (his word) against the exploitation of the Nigerian people by a powerful military/commercial elite.
Fela was born into a family with a history of Music embedded in their DNA.
In 1925 in London, Fela’s grandfather, the Reverend J.J. Ransome-Kuti, recorded a collection of hymns for the Zonophone label.
Fela’s father, the Reverend Israel Ransome-Kuti, was an accomplished pianist and encouraged Fela to learn music as a child (though he wanted him ultimately to become a doctor).