Fela Anikulapo Kuti felabration 2014

Fela whose real name are Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome Kuti was born in Abeokuta Ogun state on 15^th October 1938 to a middle class family .His mother Funmilayo RANSOME Kuti was a famous front line activist in the anti colonial movement and his father reverend Israel Oludotun Ransome kuti a protestant minister and school principal was the first president of of the Nigerian union of teachers

His musical talent and radical nature manifested early, so it was no surprise that fela went to London in 1958 to study music while there he formed the band Koola Lobitos, playing a type of music that was a fusion of jazz with west Africa highlife .in 1963, Fela moved back to Nigeria, reformed Koola Lobitos and trained as a radio producer for the Nigerian broadcasting corporation

In 1969 Fela took the band to USA while there he  discovered the black power movement through Sandra smith a member of black panther party which would heavily influence his music and political views .indeed ,Fela  experienced a political awakening that later reflected in total transformation of his world view ,his music and place of Africa and black man in history ,his early years and his mother political activism had exposed him to some degree to fight for political independence from colonization and especially memorable for young Fela was being introduce to Kwame Nkrumah the guiding light of Ghana independence and the leading advocate for pan africanism and the organization of  African unity (OAU).

In his own word for the first time I heard things I had never heard before about Africa Fela told friend s he learnt more about Africa I Los Angeles than he had learnt in Lagos and insisted that the whole atmosphere of black revolution changed me, my consciousness, my thinking, my perception of things .i was educated I as exposed to awareness, it started making me thinking, I saw how everything worked there, I realized how every thing worked there I realized I had no country .i decided to come back and try to make my country African

These experiences in America made Fela more radical politically and his new awareness also reflected in his music which displayed a new aggression before he left Los Angeles Afro beat was born.

The 69 Los Angelis sessions Fela and his band renamed Africa 70 returned to Nigeria he then formed the kalakuta republic, a commune, a recording studio and a home for many connected to the band, his influence grew   to a point he declared independent from the Nigerian state

Fela married 27 women .In 1978, Fela married many of whom were his dancer’s composer and singer to mark the anniversary on the attack on kalakuta republic, the year was also marked by two notorious concert the first in Accra which a riot broke out during the song Zombie .Fela was banned from entering Ghana .the second was at Berlin jazz festival after which he lost a lot of his band members due to various issues

Fela in poitics despite the massive set backs Fela was determined to come back he formed his own political party which is called movement of the people   .in 1979 he put himself forward for president in Nigeria first election for more than a decade but his candidature was   refused .at this time Fela created a new band called Egypt 80 and continued to record albums and tour the country ,he further infuriated the political establishment by dropping the names of ITT vice president Moshood Abiola and then general Olusegun Obasanjo at the end of a hot selling 25 minute polemic titled  I.T.T (international Thief Thief )  

In 1984 he was again attacked by the military government who jailed him on a dubious charge of currency smuggling ,his case was taking up by several human right groups and after 20 months ,he was released from prison by General Ibrahim Babangida on his release he divorced his remaining wives,       

Fela continue to release album with Egypt 80, made a number of successful tours of the united state and Europe and also continue to be politically active

Felas death on 3 august 1997, Olukoye Ransome Kuti ,already a prominent AIDS activist and former minister of health stunned the nation by announcing his younger brother death from health complications brought on by AIDS .more than a million people ironically including many from the armed forces and police attend the burial in Lagos ,his musical career was matchless and very prolific with over 70 Albums  and over 200 songs

A new African shrine has opened under the supervision of his eldest child Yeni and son Femi kuti who with his band the positive force is generally  considered the undisputed King of afro beat today through them and in memory of teeming grateful fans Fela lives on.