Afrobeat legend, Fela Kuti continues to be a legend even 20 years after his demise.

The 2017 edition of the festival was a special edition as it marked the 20th year anniversary of Fela’s demise, and the Lagos State government commemorated the legend by erecting ‘The Liberation’ a statue of Fela at Allen Roundabout, Ikeja, Lagos.


To the surprise of several people, the statue erected was without a head and this raised a lot of suspiscion and comments from fans of the late Afrobeat legend.

Responding on behalf of the family, Fela’s daughter and social commentator, Yeni Kuti has justified the design of the monument, saying it was the expression of how the artist felt about the late legend.

She said: ‘Before people on social media will start to say the Fela has no head or it has no hand and so on, it is art and before you abuse us, let me answer quickly. It is art. How an artist feels is how he feels because if he had put a head and the head did not look like Fela, everybody will say the head did not look like Fela so now you cannot abuse the head because it is not even there.’

The visual artist who designed the effigy, Abolore Sobayo said the work was an expression of how he feels about the late Afrobeat legend, saying that it was designed to generate discussion about the emancipation of the people. While justifying the fact that the art work had no head, Sobayo said the design came out of extensive research on what Fela represented through his music, and how to use same to correct some of the things he complained about years ago that are still happening.

‘For me as an artist, art transcends beyond beauty or aesthetics. For me, art should generate discuss; art should ask question and art should provoke our thoughts. For me, the creation of the Liberation Statue is to represent the essence of Fela by using his costume. For me, I believe that this should serve as a conscious to our subconscious that twenty years after Fela’s demise, most of the things he talked about are still happening. For me, this work should come to us not just as a beautiful work, but it should come to us as something that will ginger us to look at the positivity in our lives; positivity in the values of his music; for us to start to emancipate our people positively. Going forward, I have been able to use symbolism as a medium to represent Fela through his costume and to represent his essence,’ Sobayo said.

http://fstrends.com.ng/2017/10/reason-why-this-statue-of-fela-kuti-in-lagos-is-headless/

Tell that to the birds.Not convincing enough..

Modified...
l dedicate my FTC to the man that committed suicide at Okolobiri Hospital bc of Monkey Pox...Though,l dont support his action,imagine the discrimination n negligence he must have suffered which pushed him to....

Abami Eda.

Can Nigerians be gingered? We r like punching bags.

I still don't understand why its headless sef

That's no excuse. If the artist feels people would raise questions on whose head is, then he wasn't in no way a professional meant to take the job.

Doesn't make so much sense to me except some of my friends from Ekenwan campus justifies it too.

Goan put the head my friend and stop giving excuses dat holds no water.

For me, I think it's all about felas iconic pose. That pose, without a head, make people recognise who the enigma is and what he represents in an instant gaze . Thus the statue is assumed to have evoked the spirit of fela inside it, because without seeing his head or hand u already SEE him. A GOOD work of art should stir up questions.... Sorry u don't get a lot of that here in Nigeria

PheezyLee:
I still don't understand why its headless sef

read the post again

Aunty Yeni...pleawe another question. Why una use mtn colour and not the kind of bronze in Imo.?

if you could design that gigantic structure, designing a head should not be that difficult....something tells me both the artist n Fela's family r hiding something from the public...anyway fela was fearless even in tough military regime,he is greater than Namdi Kanu + Ojukwu.

shii not adding up...

Simple...

It's An Amatuer Artist Doing A Cheap Work

rusellweb:

Afrobeat legend, Fela Kuti continues to be a legend even 20 years after his demise.

The 2017 edition of the festival was a special edition as it marked the 20th year anniversary of Fela’s demise, and the Lagos State government commemorated the legend by erecting ‘The Liberation’ a statue of Fela at Allen Roundabout, Ikeja, Lagos.


To the surprise of several people, the statue erected was without a head and this raised a lot of suspiscion and comments from fans of the late Afrobeat legend.

Responding on behalf of the family, Fela’s daughter and social commentator, Yeni Kuti has justified the design of the monument, saying it was the expression of how the artist felt about the late legend.

She said: ‘Before people on social media will start to say the Fela has no head or it has no hand and so on, it is art and before you abuse us, let me answer quickly. It is art. How an artist feels is how he feels because if he had put a head and the head did not look like Fela, everybody will say the head did not look like Fela so now you cannot abuse the head because it is not even there.’

The visual artist who designed the effigy, Abolore Sobayo said the work was an expression of how he feels about the late Afrobeat legend, saying that it was designed to generate discussion about the emancipation of the people. While justifying the fact that the art work had no head, Sobayo said the design came out of extensive research on what Fela represented through his music, and how to use same to correct some of the things he complained about years ago that are still happening.

‘For me as an artist, art transcends beyond beauty or aesthetics. For me, art should generate discuss; art should ask question and art should provoke our thoughts. For me, the creation of the Liberation Statue is to represent the essence of Fela by using his costume. For me, I believe that this should serve as a conscious to our subconscious that twenty years after Fela’s demise, most of the things he talked about are still happening. For me, this work should come to us not just as a beautiful work, but it should come to us as something that will ginger us to look at the positivity in our lives; positivity in the values of his music; for us to start to emancipate our people positively. Going forward, I have been able to use symbolism as a medium to represent Fela through his costume and to represent his essence,’ Sobayo said.

http://fstrends.com.ng/2017/10/reason-why-this-statue-of-fela-kuti-in-lagos-is-headless/

Cc; lalasticlala,MissyB3, Fynestboi

for your information,anywhere wey u keep Fela Head,better go and bring it because your reasons are not accepted.

MrHenshaw:






for your information,anywhere wey u keep Fela Head,better go and bring it because your reasons are not accepted.

No be me keep m now

My answer is: The artist that built the structure hasn't been fully paid....

I AM D BEST WEIGHT LOSS DOCTOR

His skull has been harvested for ritual purpose..

Very soon the Afonjas will go to IMO state and harvest the skull of JACOB ZUMA statue..

Its true ooo

One day Lagosians will wake up and see a random head attached to that statue.....

Brother Zuma statue that has head in Imo state.
What is its usefulness?

Even with head those that commissioned it are headless

All these for u, for u, for u, excuses no hold water oga artist why zuma go get head for corruption and Fela no go get for saying the truth?
Abraham Lincoln's image get head and shade over him for Washington even Though after Emancipation proclamation racism still exit in America

worst statue ever

I am sure the weed smokers can see the head

It's Illuminati.

Nice. I love the 'Game of Death' bruce lee jumpsuit.