Ten Things You Didn't know About Fela

Today is the late Fela’s 77th post-humous birthday. Below is a picture of his preserved bedroom in his Kalakuta, Ikeja home shared by photographer Yagazie Emezi.





Below are 10 facts you probably did not know about Fela:


1. Once he had recorded a song, he never played it live again He had reportedly been offered several Thousands to perform his old hits, which he refused.


2.He maintained a close relationship with Duke Ellington till the Duke’s death and he is reputed to have helped Fela in scoring a number of his songs.


3. He had a serious run-in with Paul McCartney after EMI barred Fela from recording in its Studio in Lagos, because McCartney was scheduled to record the “Band on the Run” album, even though Kuti had pre-booked the Studio. He reportedly barricaded the entrance to the Studio until the issues were ironed out. They stayed friends subsequently though, with McCartney recently picking up the tab for Fela’s son’s Music Course at McCartneys Music School. 2nd reason to like Macca, the first being sorting out Jimi Hendrix’ first Festival gig.


4. He started out as a Trumpeter and was only forced to learn to play the Saxophone after his star Sax player- Igo Chiko left the Band in 1972, resulting in Fela being booed off stage in Ghana in the same year.


5. He had considerable physical attributes. I recall being told by a friend about an occasion in Fela’s House , where he was holding court and engaged in a serious political argument- stark naked. My friend’s account is to the effect that people on both sides of him constantly had to duck to avoid getting knocked out cold, by his err.. person as he gesticulated excitedly in the course of the argument.



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6. His mum was one of the First Feminist activists in Africa and was on friendly terms with Mao Tse Tung, well regarded by Krushchev and such like persons. An articulate and formidable character, she was certainly not the typical Vicar’s wife, Fela’s Dad was an Anglican Reverend, but wholly supportive of his wife’s activism (equally inspiring for an African couple in the 1920’s/1930’s). She died in 1979 as a result of injuries suffered when she was thrown out of a window two stories up in Fela’s House by the invading Soldiers and Policemen (over a 1000 in all) drafted by the Nigerian Government to silence him finally in 1977. The Nigerian Government rather cynically appointed him a member of the Police Public Relations Commitee in 1981. (See, even Dictator’s have a sense of humour). He equally returned the compliment by first confiscating the hats of two Traffic Policement and then dragging his mothers Coffin on foot over several miles to the residence of the Head of the Military Junta asking that they bury her. (I do recognise that there is more than one fact contained herein- I repeat, its my blog and I’ll do what I want to).


7. His home in Lagos- called Kalakuta (corruption of Calcutta) Republic (named after the notorious Police Cell Block where he was detained in 1974), was open to any and every homeless drifter, where Fela would give them a roof and a meal as well as some kind of job- in many instances.


8. He was given a brand new Mercedes Benz 280 Limo by his Record company, which he reputedly used regularly in loading up filthy firewood/charcoal used in cooking to feed the masses in his self-styled Republic.


9. A million people marched with Fela’s Coffin on its final journey to burial in his house. More than have ever witnessed any state event in Nigeria.


10. He was briefly listed in the Guinness book of records for the most number of women married at one ceremony- 27, in 1978