A 304-page book on Fela Anikulapo Kuti has been released online. Release date was January 1, 2022, but went live from January 15, 2022. Cover price is $8:99.

A Chicago-based firm, Brightech Consultant in Illinois uploaded the book on Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). For now, the book is exclusive only to buyers who have Kindle App on their devices, or those who will download the app if they want to purchase the book. For now also, hard copies of the book won't be available until May this year.

The book, entitled "Fela Anikulapo Kuti: Bruised. Battered. Beloved", was said to have taken the author six years of research and interviews with 25 individuals who knew the African music icon. Fela died on August 2, 1997.

An official of Brightech Consultant who does not want to be mentioned said that the company had been in touch with Mr Tade Makinde, a former Entertainment Journalist with The Nigerian Tribune and the author of the book, and had been kept informed of progress on the book for long. The book was first published online in 2018, but due to some technical hitches, had not been available for purchase.

"Getting the online copy of the book out for now was what we mostly discussed with the author. In this age where online publishing is fast becoming an easy way out for writers who are hardly considered for help by most publishing companies, we are glad the author agreed to give prospective readers the opportunity to have an idea of who Fela was.

"We hope this e-version of the book will interest those who love Fela and who want to know more about him apart from his brand of music, Afrobeat. But they must download the Kindle App first if they want to buy the book because there won't be paper back for now", he said.

Among contributors to the book were Lemi Ghariokwu, Baba Ani, Eludoyin Babalola, Femi Esho, Femi Falana, Dede Mabiaku among others.

Mr Makinde is a staff of Ariya TV (sister company of AMNI Corporation in New York).

By John Alade

Nice one.