Femi Kuti, the eldest son of Fela in this
interview, went down memory lane, recounting
the story of his late father, his music and
ideologies. He also talks about what the fans of
Afrobeat music will expect at this year's
Felabration among other issues .
The 2013 edition of Felabration,a week-long
concert which celebrates the life and times of
Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti
commences from Monday, October 14 through
20 at the Afrikan Shrine, Ikeja, Lagos What's
new in this year's Felabration? I think what will
always be new is the enthusiasm of the crowd.
The festival runs from Monday through
Sunday. It kicked off last Monday with school
debate. Wuri Modern College won the
competition last year.
The Felabration usually kicks off with school
debate because we are trying to introduce new
things other than music. There will be
symposium where the likes of Femi Falana,
SAN, will be in attendance. The festival will kick
off properly next week Tuesday. It will run till
Saturday and closes on Sunday.
With this year's Felabration coming up, would
you say you have achieved the dream of
setting up the festival? Definitely.
We are all Nigerians and we know what it
means to run a festival at that level for 13
years.
I think we have to be applauded. It's a feat
that hasn't been achieved in Nigeria.
All the great festivals we know in Nigeria are
no longer functioning. We have never heard
any security challenges in the past 13 years.
With the crowd of over 10,000 people
attending the festival, I think we have to be
commended.
Now, Felabration is observed across the world,
especially in major cities of the world.
The event my sister, Yeni started has grown big
and stronger.
Looking at it holistically, do you feel
comfortable that a Nigerian who has
practically lived abroad all his life is playing
the role of Fela? I'm sure if they do a movie, it
will be great. Now, let us look at the broadway
show.
Critics say that it was too Americanised. They
did not want to show Fela's story from the
Nigerian perspective.
They wanted the American and the
international market to understand the Fela
story. See how Fela was misunderstood even
when he went to the United States.
It was after his death that people started
evaluating his music.
What he was doing? He married 27 wives in his
lifetime, how dare he? This man was against
feminism.? They gave him different kind of
names. He was completely misunderstood
because he wore pants, he smoked marijuana.
He had issues. He had serious issues whether
we liked it or not.
At his death, people were celebrating him but
in his lifetime, he was broke before he died.
What they did was to tell the Fela story for the
average international market to watch and
understand it. If you did watch them, you
would notice that the dancers could not dance
the Afrobeat music.
For you, the man was speaking American
English.
But you would have every reason to believe
that the Fela you know was not being acted but
if you look at it from the neutral perspective
like you didn't know Fela, you would
understand the story and even weep for him.
The day I watched it, I cried.
I cried because I knew where they were
coming from and I saw the audience.
Probably, they have not heard about Fela, the
Americans were saying, it made them want to
listen to his music to know more about Africa.
It opened their minds to so many issues.
Now, they are studying Afrobeat in many of
the schools and universities in America,
Germany, France, Sweden, Australia,
everywhere.
There are over 20 American bands playing
Afrobeat at the moment. Over the years and
given what is happening in the country today,
will you say your father has been vindicated or
misunderstood while he lived? I will answer in
the affirmative. He was grossly misunderstood
for a purpose because he saw corruption and
he knew what corruption was going to do to
the country; those involved in corruption
wanted to get away with dictatorship and
corruption which was what he was against.
And because he used his own unconventional
way of protesting, it didn't go down well with
the authorities. Then the authorities controlled
the media up to a point until after Daily Times,
when other media houses started springing up
because we have to remember that it was only
government newspapers and TVs that we had
then.
So, the story was told from the government's
perspective until The Punch, Vanguard and
other magazines were established.
Fela's story could be seen from another point
of view.
We have to understand where Fela was coming
from in the 60s. Where did the problem start?
What was the cause of his problem? And
maybe, because he was already a stubborn
character, he was going to make matters worse
and that was his character and that is the
character that people now love.
What kind of man was he, that many people
ran away from him, or even compromised
him. But he didn't have to go through all those
beatings? So, I think, he was purposely
misunderstood but yes, he has been
vindicated. But you are a different specie? I
would say, I am probably more diplomatic
because I have learnt from what I saw of him.
First, you have to understand the political
climate which we live in. Let us remember who
voted for Obasanjo?
Except if we want to be dishonest with
ourselves, Obasanjo won the first election,
clean and clear. What would Fela have done if
he was alive and this same Nigerians still went
to vote for this same Obasanjo? Didn't they
hear Fela sing about this man?
Then, it is still these same Nigerians that were
criticising this man and they know it. Let us
look at our incumbent President.
He was declared wanted by the EFCC when he
was governor of Bayelsa State and you voted
for him. That case was pending in court when
Yar' Adua made him his Vice.
Opposition parties should have objected to his
selection. But they didn't. Again, his former
boss late Yar ' Adua whom he served under had
a seven point agenda.
Where is it today? Jonathan promised that if
anything happened to him that he would follow
his footsteps. Has him followed his footsteps
today? There are many things you have to
understand as Fela's son.
Did Nigerians not hear what Fela talked about?
Are they not feeling the same pain that Fela
felt when he was alive? Nigerians are still
voting for the same corrupt politicians.
Are you worried that government has not been
able to honour your father after his death? Not
at all.
The people will always honour my father and
he will always be celebrated worldwide.
Even Lagos state has honoured him. Even if the
family doesn't celebrate him, Fela has gone
beyond the shores of Nigeria.
As we speak, New York, Paris, England, Japan,
Australia, New Zealanmd, China, Malaysia,
among others still celebrate him.
At over 50, some people say it seems you have
become more sexually active?
That is not true, I am no more sexually active.
When you see a beautiful woman, when you
reach my age and you have responsibility like
myself, you will know what I am talking about.
Before now, as a young man, you would want
to go after her.
There are many nights I go and sleep alone not
because I don't have girlfriends or want a
girlfriend, when I think of the responsibility I
have in my life, I will immediately have a
rethink.
The women in my life also have
responsibilities.
I can tell you that the mothers of my children,
we stay together, we are very serious. You
could say we are husband and wife but I don't
believe in marriage.
I just don't understand why one man will say I
pronounce you man and wife, in that case.
I pronounce myself man and wife.
I am very different from my father but in a lot
of ways like him. Like I couldn't understand
why he married 27 wives.
When he married them, he divorced them. I
didn't have a problem with my father's wives
but my mother did.
When the probl.. see more @ www.9aijahouse.com/2013/10/i-still-sexually-active-i-don-believe.html

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