Med332 afrobeat the politics of Fela Kuti
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Transcript of Med332 afrobeat the politics of Fela Kuti
Afrobeat: the poli/cs of Fela Ku/ #med332
Fela Ku/ funeral, 1997 1 million people a?ended Image © Reuters
One of a rela/vely small group of African musicians to achieve some measure of international fame and success, par/cularly in Europe and the United States, his death was noted in the Western press by newspapers and magazines ranging from The New York Times and Time magazine to Rolling Stone and Spin. In each of these cases-‐-‐along with the men/on of his musical accomplishments, his radical poli/cs, and his frequent imprisonment by the Nigerian government-‐-‐comes men/on of his twenty-seven wives and his habit of performing dressed only in bikini briefs -‐ Stanovsky, 1998
afrobeat
“polygamist”
“misogynist”
“other”
Born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-‐Ku/ 15 October 1938
Funmilayo Ransome-‐Ku/ with her son , Fela
London, 1958
Trinity College of Music
1960: Fela married to Remilekun Remi Taylor
jazz + highlife
Highlife influences:
E. T Mensah (Ghana) Victor Olaiya Bobby Benson
1969: USA Exposed to poli/cs of Malcolm X & Eldridge Cleaver
It's crazy; in the States people think the black-‐power movement drew inspira/on from Africa. All these Americans come over here looking for awareness. They don't realize they're the ones who've got it over there. Why, we were even ashamed to go around in na/onal dress un/l we saw pictures of blacks wearing dashikis on 125th Street. -‐ Ku/ cited in Stanovsky,1998
Fela Ku/ – ‘Viva Nigeria’ (1969)
Men are born Kings are made Treatys are signed Wars are fought Every country has its own problems So has Nigeria so has Africa Let us bind our wounds and live together in peace Nigeria, one na/on indivisible Long live Nigeria Viva Africa The history of mankind Is full of obvious turning points and significant events Though tongue and tribe may differ We are all Nigerians We are all Africans War is not the answer It has never been the answer And it will never be the answer figh/ng amongst each other Let's live together in peace Nigeria one Na/on Indivisible Let's eat together like we used to eat Let's plan together like we used to plan Sing together like we used to sing Dance together like we used to dance United we stand, divided we fall You know what I mean I hope you do
Fela’s refusal to speak out against the government at this /me was an a?empt to secure state sponsorship -‐ Veal, 2000
h?p://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0383yt5
contradictions…
Musically, Fela was an accomplished musician but his extrasonic or extramusical reputa/on dominated and s/ll dominates that of the musical. He thoroughly enjoyed this extramusical reputation and repeatedly stoked its fire in pronouncements and lifestyle, but he nevertheless struggled laboriously in each (of his trademark one-‐song) album to subvert and redirect that a?en/on to the musical. -‐ Tejumola Olaniyan, 2001: 76
At the level of personal lifestyle, he was an indefa/gable campaigner against tyranny but ran
a strictly hierarchical household, much like a palace, though with hardly the structural checks and balances of model
indigenous Yoruba monarchies. He was the son of Nigeria's foremost
nationalist feminist […] but he was also the one who gave many boys of my genera/on a
language for our sexism, and made that sexist language extremely musically
pleasurable -‐ Olaniyan, 2001: 76-‐77
na/vism vs
cosmopolitanism
recurring mo/fs: • An Africa beset by tyrannical leaders, • poli/cal instability, • corrup/on and nepo/sm throughout na/onal ins/tu/ons
• economic crises • social inequality • poor city infrastructures • interethnic figh/ng • an/ government rebellions • families torn apart and forced to live vast distances away in order to find work
1971
‘Why Black Man Dey Suffer’ (1971)
We dey sit down for our land jeje (We were living peacefully in our land)
We dey mind our business jeje (Minding our own business)
Some people come from far away land Dem (They) fight us and take away our land Dem take our people and spoil all our towns Na since then trouble start
(That's when our troubles started) Na since then trouble star/ o (hun, hun; one more /me
(It’s been trouble ever since) Our riches dem take away to their land In return dem give us their colony Dem take our culture away from us Dem give us culture we no understand Black people we no (don't) know ourselves We no know our ancestral heritage We dey fight each other everyday
(We’re constantly at one another’s throats)
Sandra (Smith) Isadore and Fela Ku/ circa 1969
1972
‘Lady’ (1972)
She go say, "I be Lady o"! She go say, "I be Lady" She go say, "I no be woman" She go say, "Market woman na woman" She go say, "I be Lady” I wan tell you about Lady (x3) She go say him equal to man She go say him get power like man She go say anything man do himself fit do I never tell you finish (x4) I never tell you... She go wan take cigar before anybody She go wan make you open door for am She go wan make man wash plate for am for kitchen She wan salute man she go sit down for chair She wan salute man she go sit down for chair She wan sit down for table before anybody She wan sit down for table before anybody She wan a piece of meat before anybody She wan a piece of meat before anybody
1973
‘Gentleman’ (1973)
I be Africa man original Them call you, make you come chop You chop small, you say you belly full You say you be gentleman You go hungry You go suffer You go quench Me I no be gentleman like that […] I be Africa man original (x3) You dey go your way, the jeje way Somebody come bring original trouble You no talk, you no act You say you be gentleman You go suffer You go /re You go quench Me I no be gentleman like that I no be gentleman at all o!
I be Africa man original (x2) Africa hot, I like am so I know what to wear but my friends don't know Him put him socks, him put him shoe Him put him pant, him put him singlet Him put him trouser, him put him shirt Him put him /e, him put him coat Him come cover all with him hat Him be gentleman Him go sweat all over Him go faint right down Him go smell like shit Him go piss for body, him no go know Me I no be gentleman like that
1976
1977
1983
English man go say "pile," Yoruba man go sayjedi-‐jedi doctors want to do something about it doctors must give you capsule. Chorus: no solu/on! doctor must give you tablet (ch.) doctor must give you mixture (ch.) injec/on must enter your nyash [buG] (ch.) doctor carry you go theater (ch.) him take de knife slice your nyash
[he operates on your buG] (ch.) I say solu/on dey for African medicine I say the solu/on is in African medicine in one week jedi-‐jedi go start to run away
(One week, and you are cured!) we must learn to respect our African medicine our doctors must go to learn how to make research but, but, but dem go dey perambulate and dem s/ll dey Chorus: same same place
they go dey perambulate and dem s/ll dey (ch.) see jedi (ch.); malaria (ch.); gonorrhea (ch.), and syphilis (ch.) dem no fit do dem (ch.)
(they can't cure all these diseases) me, I dey tell them (ch.)
(I keep telling them) our medicine be?er (ch.)
(Our medicine is beGer) hey get name for am (ch.)
(but they have a demeaning name for it)
"herbal medicine" (ch.) ‘Perambulator’ (1983)
1977
Zombie o, zombie (Zombie o, zombie) Zombie no go go, unless you tell am to go (Zombie) Zombie no go stop, unless you tell am to stop (Zombie) Zombie no go turn, unless you tell am to turn (Zombie) Zombie no go think, unless you tell am to think (Zombie) Tell am to go straight A joro, jara, joro No break, no job, no sense A joro, jara, joro Tell am to go kill A joro, jara, joro No break, no job, no sense A joro, jara, joro Tell am to go quench A joro, jara, joro No break, no job, no sense A joro, jara, joro
Go and kill! (Joro, jaro, joro) Go and die! (Joro, jaro, joro) Go and quench! (Joro, jaro, joro) Put am for reverse! (Joro, jaro, joro) Joro, jara, joro, zombie wey na one way (x3) Joro, jara, joro A?en/on! (Zombie) Quick march! Slow march! (Zombie) Lez turn! Right turn! (Zombie) About turn! Double up! (Zombie) Salute! Open your hat! (Zombie) Stand at ease! Fall in! (Zombie) Fall out! Fall down! (Zombie) Get ready! Halt! Order! Dismiss! ‘Zombie’ (1977)
1977
Fela in his life /me was never "a good bedfellow" of the military ins/tu/on. As a poli/cal ac/vist, he believed the army should operate under the mandate of a civil government. If na/onal interest compels the armed forces to intervene in government, the army is obliged to hand over power to a new civil government elected by the people and enjoying their mandate. To do otherwise is to usurp power par/cularly since a soldier's duty is not to seek a poli/cal mandate. For emphasis in the song, he narrates the military in mo/on comparing their orienta/on to the Zombie, without minds of their own. Fela paid a big price for this bold condemna/on of the military ins/tu/on. One thousand members of the Nigerian army a?acked and burnt down his house azer the release of the record. The tribunal set up to inves/gate the cause of the a?ack as a result of the public out-‐cry against the army, heard, as part of the evidence presented, an example of the Zombie album cover with the military uniform and boots displayed boldly. The army jus/fica/on of the a?ack was that Fela treated the military ins/tu/on with levity. [Sleeve liner notes)
1980
Fela Ku/ funeral, 1997 1 million people a?ended Image © Reuters
Summary
• Legendary performer • Conflicted poli/cs. • Responsible for popularising an/-‐feminist sen/ment despite being brought up by a strong woman.
• Nigeria underwent a period of huge upheaval. • Independence from Bri/sh in 1960 – oil rich, large popula/on, unequal division of wealth – socially conscious.
• A?empted to run for President. • Died of Aids related illness
Images • Daniel Lobo (2013) Fela Ku/ • Circuito Fora do Eixo (2012) #Coluna Seu Guevara -‐ 22/03/12 • Chris Weige (2007) fela ku/ • Mark Morgan (2010) Fela Originals • Leonard Bentley (1958) Parliament Square • Stefano C. Manservisi (2010) Trinity College of Music • Deeboy (2006) Coltrane acute II • Thomas Hawk (2006) May 4, 1968 • Steve Snodgrass (2010) Power & Equality • Global Panorama (2011) Nigeria Flag