Differentiate between Marley and Kuti.

semid4lyfe:

This thread dey vex me die. Make Seun delete am jare.

What audacity and blasphemy. . . . . . .

freedom of speech

Rehearsing with colleagues with in underpants is surely against Nigerian  societal norms especially when he knew the press were around. Fela's sense of morality and decency was beclouded by his excessive shunning of ethics all in the name of freedom. He was a great saxophonist notwithstanding.

DASLEEKY:

I feel compelled to post on NL. I rarely do, My simple reason to clear up one fact:
FELA NEVER WAKED  THE STREET Unclad NOR PERFORMED WITH JUST UNDERPANTS ON STAGE

A controversy ignited During the West african idol auditions, one of the judges, Dede Madiaku (Fela's protegee),  strongly abeit harshly chatised some dude for trying to mimic Fela with just underpants and Dede was unequivocal in saying the fact "FELA NEVER CLIMB THE STAGE WITH HIS UNDERPANTS"
 see said incidence here  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDh_TsHKfJU
& folks came up with diff videos of him, (including this one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPIZBcb6hQI  singing is his underpants but all of such videos are rehearsal @ his gbemisola street residence  in Ikeja

So if there's anything to be re-emphasized here it is the simple fact:
[size=16pt]FELA NEVER CLIMB THE STAGE WITH JUST UNDER PANTS!!!![/size]

Basket mouth wan still to leak again oooooooooooooooo

Solozzo:

Rehearsing with colleagues with in underpants is surely against Nigerian societal norms especially when he knew the press were around. Fela's sense of morality and decency was beclouded by his excessive shunning of ethics all in the name of freedom. He was a great saxophonist notwithstanding.

yet we can watch miss naija tthat shows us girls in bras and pants alone?

Not going to get into the dynamic of interpersonal relationships between some of you Guys on here. It is okay for someone else to have a differing opinion on any subject matter.

That being said, and in my own humble opinion, Fela is absolutely a Nigerian icon. I will go further and say that he is just as iconic as Obafemi Awolowo or Wole Soyinka.

Why do I think he is an iconic element of Nigeria?

Musical message:
If you listen to Army Arrangement, as an example, everything he said is true.

International Standing:
Fela is a musical ambassador for Nigeria. You cannot argue this fact. He was travelling and playing international when most of the musicians of his era were not.

Moral Fiber:
Here is where most folks will take an issue or stand. How can EuroMeko call a pot smoking person an iconic element? Guess what pot smoking does not have the same  negative connotation that it used to have. President Clinton, former Leader of the free world partook in pot. Pot is now a legal medicine in parts of the USA.
So he married umpteen Wives, so what? How many Wives did Julius Cesar or King Edward had?

This is my own personal opinion and should mostly vary from yours.

Leave the young man (OP) alone. He came here to be enlightened and not to be abused. I find it childish when open discussion turns to casting personal aspersions.

Is Fela really an Icon? All you had to do is express your opinion in a matured manner and not to abuse the OP,


@tosinaded, I'm referring to you in particular.

obo_man:

Leave the young man (OP) alone. He came here to be enlightened and not to be abused. I find it childish when open discussion turns to casting personal aspersions.

naaah he came here to impose his view on us. . .
he has read many books on fela. . . what more enlightenment does he need?

obo_man:

Is Fela really an Icon? All you had to do is express your opinion in a matured manner and not to abuse the OP,

yeah i expressed my opinion. . only came wiv insults! deal wiv it

obo_man:

@tosinaded, I'm referring to you in particular.

yeah i figured. . . now pls drop ur comments on the topic!

I expect the poster will open another thread tomorrow titled
"Is Michael Jackson really an icon?"
Mchew!!!

Even today his lyrics are still relevant in painting the true picture of things in Nigeria. It was from his "just like that" his son Femi remixed "wonder wonder wonder". The pastor's life is still getting better at the expense of the people who are more or less zombies - suffering and smiling. Obasanjo is still there with his big fat stomach and as for Buhari - the less said the better.

NLs be balanced and understand everyone have the right to their own views. Some people may not enjoy Fela music, and so may not regard him as an icon. Excessive propagation of African culture to the exclusion of good western education and abuse of white people may sound racist to some.

Preaching against societal vices and behaving badly may amount to hypocrisy.

Fabulous thread. I have thought about this before too. It just goes to show that so-called morality is a huge farce, and underscores the fact that hypocrisy rules. If folks like Fela, and other obviously 'immoral' characters judging by societal standards, (and to a smaller extent people like Big Brother winners whose only legacy was smoking, drinking, nudity, and flirting) are openly celebrated as Icons, then to what extent should society castigate ordinary people who emulate the cardinal and defining characteristics of these 'icons' (drug abuse, illicit sexuality, violence, debauchery, etc)? ? ? ? ? ? Something must be seriously wrong with the world.

I am no saint; indeed on the contrary, I am irredeemably debauched. But then I'm also a philosopher, and so I must ask hard questions.

Fela was , is and may still be the greatest musical talent in Nigeria for a wee long time to come. He stands with head to head with other African idols and icons like Hugh Masekela and Mariam Makeba. You should have an idea of his followership by the responses on the thread

proO1:

Fabulous thread. I have thought about this before too. It just goes to show that so-called morality is a huge farce, and underscores the fact that hypocrisy rules. [b]If folks like Fela, and other obviously 'immoral' characters judging by societal standards, ([/b]and to a smaller extent people like Big Brother winners whose only legacy was smoking, drinking, Unclothedness, and flirting) are openly celebrated as Icons, then to what extent should society castigate ordinary people who emulate the cardinal and defining characteristics of these 'icons' (drug abuse, illicit sexuality, violence, debauchery, etc)? ? ? ? ? ? Something must be seriously wrong with the world.

I am no saint; indeed on the contrary, I am irredeemably debauched. But then I'm also a philosopher, and so I must ask hard questions.

Fela and immoral in the same sentence?! Nothing wey we no go see for NL

what a faggoty thread.

fela is a down to earth original african man.he is d greatest musician dat hav ever lived in 9ja.i luv to b lik him.walk naked,yes i do walk naked like.he is an african.so he acted like 1.

ebogentle:

I expect the poster will open another thread tomorrow titled
"Is Michael Jackson really an icon?"
Mchew!!!

God bless u! Michael was accused of all sorts of things including pedophilia and drug addiction. Does that make him less of an icon. No.

Fela is a great Icon.

obo_man:

Leave the young man (OP) alone. He came here to be enlightened and not to be abused. I find it childish when open discussion turns to casting personal aspersions.

Is Fela really an Icon? All you had to do is express your opinion in a matured manner and not to abuse the OP,


@tosinaded, I'm referring to you in particular.

I just tire

@Poster
For more than 20 yrs Fela fought constantly against tyranny of military rule, corruption by the ruling elites, destruction of African culture as a result of colonialism and the hypocrisy of religious leaders. And you still doubt if this man is a Nigerian icon.

You don't have to agree with his lifestyle but you need to appreciate his stand against every form of oppression.

This is a line  from one of his songs:
Pastor's house na im dey fine pass, but my people dey live for shanty town

Is this not a reflection of  how Nigerian Pastors continue to deceive the masses?

immortal!

if u followed this thread from the beginning u would have realised that i never undermined fela. and like i said earlier i respect baba fela a lot. im only questioning his iconic status. I think fela is being hypocriticaly iconized. A yoruba adage: says were dun wo amo kose fi toro omo. Meaning a madman's display is pleasing to the eyes but not to the heart. Lyke i said how many people really wish to have fela-esque children. This is why i question his iconic status.N.B Im not a fela hater or critic. i would have shared more links to butress fela's hypocritical iconic status but i dont want to turn the thread into an anti-fela blog. so i would rest my case. thanks et al.l.

I love Fela for been outspoken and militia against the locust , the cankerworm, the caterpiller, and the palmerworm of our Nation that have been eating us dried for years without repentance and the are blending there children into the game now because the man have died and no one to speak the true to them again.

I don't like him for walking naked publicly and spoking Igbo or Weeds publicly, but like the Yoruba use to say, Eniyan ki wa ki o ma ku se bi kan, Ebi ti Fela kun see ni yen.

for marrying 26 wives a day too is not a good thing for the unborn children to emulate. the truth is bitter but truth is always the truth.

Fela is in the grave now, maybe the bornes will not be there anymore, but the music and his act and acting lives forever.

tushutt:

if u followed this thread from the beginning u would have realised that i never undermined fela. and like i said earlier i respect baba fela a lot. im only questioning his iconic status. I think fela is being hypocriticaly iconized. A yoruba adage: says were dun wo amo kose fi toro omo. Meaning a madman's display is pleasing to the eyes but not to the heart. Lyke i said how many people really wish to have fela-esque children. This is why i question his iconic status.N.B Im not a fela hater or critic. i would have shared more links to butress fela's hypocritical iconic status but i dont want to turn the thread into an anti-fela blog. so i would rest my case. thanks et al.l.

Fela Anikulapo - Kuti

Well educated, incredibly talented, always stood up to aggressors, tyrants and opportunists and above all an ambassador almost like no other.

Yes I wish to have Fela-esque children.

Fela took more than he gave,

gave us music and lyrics that told of the sufferings of Nigerians in the hands of their leaders, but he took a lot of our youths, a lot and still counting.

tushutt:

if u followed this thread from the beginning u would have realised that i never undermined fela. and like i said earlier i respect baba fela a lot. im only questioning his iconic status. I think fela is being hypocriticaly iconized. A yoruba adage: says were dun wo amo kose fi toro omo. Meaning a madman's display is pleasing to the eyes but not to the heart. Lyke i said how many people really wish to have fela-esque children. This is why i question his iconic status.N.B Im not a fela hater or critic. i would have shared more links to butress fela's hypocritical iconic status but i dont want to turn the thread into an anti-fela blog. so i would rest my case. thanks et al.l.

Its better you just rest your case 'cos its clear to see your type is in the minority.
Thanks

@ OP,
I believe you grew up in the age when democracy had become entrenched in Nigeria.
Do you know what it meant in  the seventies to single handedly oppose the government of a tyrant  and dictator like General Obasanjo?
Fela sigle handedly took a coffin to Dodan Barracks the seat of government in those days in order to show his displeasure with military rule.This is the equivalent of storming Aso Rock today>
Fela used his music to propagate the strenth of the black man and to show that civilisation started from Africa.
Fela was aproud African man and tried to propagate this through his lyrics and his mode of dressing.
I would like to say polygamy is part of true African lifestyle.
Fela never wore under pants out side his house,I wear underpants in my house all the time.
The man was an icon in so many ways,listen to his lyrics carefully,then you will understand that the messages he sang about years ago are still very relevant today.
Africans have abandoned our traditinnal ways of life for ways that are alien to our culture and lifestyle.
FELA LIVES!

Fela took more than he gave,

I do no think that any decent Nigerian would seriously consider him an icon.

They say a great man is usually honoured and respected by foreigners rather than his own people - that is why the OP could start a topic like this without feeling any sense of embarrassment.

I find it really odd that Fela is honoured, respected and held in the highest esteem not by his own people but by african americans, black cubans and other black diasporans but not by his own people, this confirms that the current generation of young nigerians are totally brain dead.

The idea that the OP could even question Fela's standing as an icon in nigeria reveals just how desperate the situation is.

Here we have a man who turned away from a life of comfort (having been born into an affluent upper middle class yoruba family) and instead chose to expose himself to a life of beatings, intimidation and persecution in order to fight for justice for the poor, the disenfranchised and the invisible and yet we have a numbskull askign whether or not he shoudl be regarded as an icon.

Do jamaicans ask whether Bob marley should be regarded as an icon? no because they understand and respect what he stood for.

the OP then tries to assume the moral high ground by sneering at Fela's communal marriage - my question to him is this - would you have preferred Fela to be like Obasanjo and hundreds of nigerian politicians who sleep with their friends daughters and wives and daughter in laws? Hypocrisy is a disease that is killing many nigerians, Obasanjo who is a supposed elder statesman slept with his own daughter in law but this is the man many of you dimwits hold up as a model of respectabilty.  Fela lived his life based on openess and honesty, he felt that it was better to openly have many women rather than sneak around sleeping with other people's wives and daughters but the dim with OP seems to think that that is worse than what we have in nigeria today, where women are treated and regarded as chattel by the average nigerian politician.

Let me say it loud and clear for the OP to hear clearly - Fela was a great icon and the best thing ever to come out of nigeria, he was fearless, tough and relentless in his desire for justice and equality, sadly the system that he was up against was too ruthless and too brutal, in the end the brutal system drove him over the edge and to an early grave.  

In a civilised society he would have been deified, but in nigeria scum bags like Obasanjo and IBB are the ones that are put on pedestals.

My sincere belief is this, The person who posted this thread is a little kid who simply was either too small or probably not alive to witness the military regime. If you know what it is in the military regime to come out boldly and speak negatively, openly about bad government, then you will probably appreciate Fela as an icon. Under Military regime you could be killed if you simply were not liked. i can go on and on But fela was simply speaking what many nigerians had in mind but were not bold enough to say it.

KID FELA IS AN ICON WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!!!

Yes Fela is, A lot of the people that we know as Icons today can not even boast of the great things Fela did, Ojukwu is somebody that's also eaqually great in terms of comparison, The man dies in him that folds his hands and does nothing in the face of oppression, Fela stood up against Millitary dictators, Them kill him mama he nor stop, A man appreciated in the world over, Leave his wierd ways, Even the great Mandela did some crazy things too,

for you to be asking this question means either you are related to Obansanjo or abiola, i take it you have never listen to Army Arrangement, Authority Stealing , ITT , Vagabonds in Power, Confusion Break Bone, Overtake don Overtake Overtake etc etc. where he talked about corruption in the 70s and 80s when naija was still very bam. Now what he was singing and talking about is what we are seeing the effects of now. i.e the mis management of public funds, miltary corruption .
Now if you disagree with his smoking igbo and phucking thats fine but he was an entertainer and not a pastor.

Fela lived in the moment, he was in showbiz, anything that could sell him was okay, but the only contribution he made towards the future of Nigeria was the music.

How many parents were heartbroken because their children followed a man who was interested in their flesh and excitement but not in their future?
He was willing to do anything if 'e sweet him nyash' then he would highlight obasanjo's pot belly and corruption because the people always wanted to hear that.

Papa, Fela is not more iconic than the person that supplies you indian hemp or the owner of that brothel that harbors the prostitute you visit. Sorry I forgot, he was a musician too.