A Celebration of Life – The Felabration 2013 Example
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti is greatness. A man’s ability to continually inspire a lot of people many years after his death earns him the right to be addressed in the present tense. In our remembrance and memorials however, do we look at the good examples one set? Or do we, for sake of commercial viability, conveniently ignore […]
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti is greatness. A man’s ability to continually inspire a lot of people many years after his death earns him the right to be addressed in the present tense. In our remembrance and memorials however, do we look at the good examples one set? Or do we, for sake of commercial viability, conveniently ignore or forget that.
The Felabration 2013 festival was in my opinion a blatant display of the latter. I was barely conscious when Fela died; I was 5 at the time. I had no early interaction with his music or his person. Having spent my entire life in the southern part of Nigeria with late exposure to secular music, I cannot say I am an authority on what Fela stood for. From conversations with my father, and personal research, my perception of who Fela is, was formed. I have one Fela song in my music library, “S(h)uffering & S(h)miling”. For those unfamiliar with the song’s message, this article would hopefully correct that.
Felabration 2013 had a roll call of the “who is who” in the Nigerian music scene. The most memorable event to some would be the underwear-clad performance of a rising star, Burna Boy. Like earlier stated, I have a little beyond reported and researched knowledge on who Fela was. Perhaps my perception of what Fela stood for is highly flawed; I stand corrected if that is the case.
I watched video clips of the Felabration 2013 on Primetime Africa, the popular Nigerian Music Industry show organised by the Kennis Media Group. Performance after performance was a “celebration”, I cannot state clearly though that it was a celebration of Fela’s life.
Fela to me represents a fight for the cause of the people, a fight to liberate the people of the figurative chains that bind their minds. He passed a message, of emancipation from mental and social slavery.
The Nigeria we’re in today may be a bit better than that during Fela’s time; however, it is not so different. The people still need the message Fela had to pass. With our increased access to information, we have learnt of more flaws in our system of governance. What are the arts saying about it?
There has been the long lasting question of “Who will take Fela’s place?” to this day no one has stepped up. Those who have attempted have not been taken seriously. Yet, we celebrate.
Are we celebrating in self-denial? Are we celebrating the name, the shrine, the music but forgetting the principles, the person?
These are the questions that riddled my mind when I watched the Felabration 2013 videos. The music the musicians played, what content did they have? Were they in line with what Fela was known for?
Celebrating the life of Fela should not be just about having a good time, but remembering what he stood for, and trying in every way possible to continue the causes he championed.