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Fela Ransome-Kuti Fela, a musician and political activist was also a Pan-Africanist. He was a defender of African culture and was influenced by Black Power. He traveled to Ghana where he found new musical influences and a fresh direction for his music. He composed songs that were intended to be political attacks on the Nigerian government, as well as a global order that exploited Africa in a systematic way. His music was radically revolutionary. Fela Ransome Kuti was born Abeokuta Fela ransome-Kuti was known in the 1970s and 80s for his political views that were wildly out of control and abrasive music. Many of his songs were direct criticisms of the Nigerian government and the military dictatorships that took over the country during those years. He also criticised his fellow Africans for supporting dictatorships. Fela's rebellion against oppressive governments cost him dearly. He was arrested, beaten and even jailed a number of times. He once claimed to be an “prisoner of the Kalakuta Republic” and founded his own political group, the Movement for the Advancement of the People (MOP). Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was Fela's mother. She was a feminist leader and women rights activist famous throughout the world. She was a member of the Abeokuta Women's Union and worked as an educator. She also helped organize the first preschool classes of Abeokuta. She was a suffragist and was active in the Nigerian Independence Movement. She was a close kin of the writer and Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka. Ransome-Kuti favored Pan-Africanism, and was a strong socialist. She was a proponent of the preservation of traditional African practices and religions and was a strong opponent of European cultural imperialism. Ransome-Kuti was influenced by the Black Power movement and the works of Malcolm X and Eldridge Cleaver. She was also a member of the African Renaissance movement. Despite his opposition to Western culture and the oppressive Nigerian government, Fela was able to attract a large following worldwide with his music. His music was a mixture of jazz, Afrobeats and rock and heavily inspired by American jazz clubs. He was a staunch opposition to racism. The Fela's revolt against the Nigerian government earned him many arrests and beatings. It did not deter him from traveling the United States and Europe. In 1984, he again was beaten by the military, and was detained under a variety of suspect charges. The incident led international human rights groups to intervene and the government to step down. However, Kuti continued to record and perform until his death in 1997. He was buried in the Kalakuta Cemetery, Abeokuta. The Fela Museum is located in the city. He was a musician A passionate Pan-Africanist Fela was determined to use his music as a means of social protest. With his funk-infused Afrobeat style, he criticized the Nigerian government, while inspiring activists around the world. Fela was a Nigerian born in Abeokuta in 1938. He was the son of Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, an anticolonialist and leader in the Nigerian women's movement. His mother was also a doctor and anti-colonialist like his grandparents. Fela's life work was to fight for the rights and freedoms of the oppressed. Fela began his career as a musician in 1958 after dropping out of medical school to pursue his passion for music. He began playing highlife, which is a popular music genre that fuses traditional African rhythms with Western instruments and jazz. He formed his first group in London and was able to perfect his skills in the capital of music of Europe. After his return to Nigeria He came up with Afrobeat that combines lyrics written in agit-prop with danceable beats. The new sound caught on across Nigeria and across Africa, becoming one of the most influential forms of African music. The political activism of Fela in the 1970s brought him into direct conflict with Nigerian regimes. The regime was concerned that his music would motivate people to fight against their oppressors and challenge the status quo. Fela, despite repeated attempts to silence his music continued to create fierce and danceable music to the end of life. He died of complications arising from AIDS in 1997. The nightclub of Fela in Lagos known as Afrika Shrine was always packed with people. He also built a commune, called the Kalakuta Republic, which functioned as his recording studio, club and spiritual space. The commune also was an arena for political speeches. Fela was critical of the Nigerian government as well as world leaders such as Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and P.W. Botha, South African the South African Prime Minister. Botha. Despite his death from AIDS-related complications his legacy is still alive. His Afrobeat style has influenced a variety of artists, including Beyonce and Wyclef Jean. Jay Z also cites him as a source of inspiration. He was a mysterious figure who loved music women, women and a good time But his real legacy is in his unwavering efforts to fight for the oppressed. He was a Pan-Africanist The renowned Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and political activist Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was a Pan-Africanist, bringing his unique musical style to the cause of the people. A master of blending elements of African culture with American jazz and funk and using his music to protest against the oppressive Nigerian government. He continued to speak out and fight for his beliefs even though he was arrested and beaten frequently. Fela was born into the Ransome-Kuti clan, which included anti-colonialists and artists. His mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, was a teacher and feminist, while his father, Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti, helped create a teachers' union. He grew up singing and listening to the traditional songs and beats of highlife – an amalgamation of soul songs, jazz standards, and Ghanaian hymns. This musical heritage shaped the worldview of Fela, who was determined to bring Africa to the world and the world to Africa. In 1977, Fela recorded Zombie. The song contrasts police officers to a mindless mass of people who would obey orders and savagely attack people. The song was arouse for the military authorities who invaded the house of Fela and sacked his compound. They beat everyone including Fela’s children and women. His mother was thrown from an open window and died of injuries suffered during the subsequent attack. The invasion fueled Fela’s anti-government activism. He created a commune and named it the Kalakuta Republic, which doubled as a recording studio. fela lawsuits founded a party and broke away from the Nigerian government and his songs started to focus more on social issues. In 1979, he dragged his mother's coffin into the headquarters of the junta ruling in Lagos and was then beaten. Fela was a fierce and unbending warrior who never accepted the status established order. He was aware that the injustice of fighting an inefficient and unjust power, but he never gave up. He was the embodiment a spirit of indefatigability, and in this way his story was truly heroic. He was a man who defied all odds and changed the course history. His legacy continues to live even today. He passed away in 1997. The death of Fela has been a crushing loss to his fans around the world. He was 58 years old when he passed away, and his funeral was attended by millions of people. His family said that the cause of death was heart failure caused by AIDS. Fela played a major contribution to the development and evolution of Afrobeat music which fuses traditional Yoruba rhythms jazz, as well as American funk. His political activism led to his arrest and beatings by Nigerian police but he refused be silenced. He was a proponent of Africanism and urged others to stand up against corruption in the Nigerian military government. Fela had a major impact on the Black Power Movement in the United States. This inspired him to continue fighting for Africa. In his later years, Fela suffered from skin lesions and he lost weight drastically. These signs clearly indicated that he was suffering from AIDS. He was an AIDS disbeliever and refused treatment, but ultimately passed away from the disease. Fela Kuti's legacy is sure to live on for generations to come. Kuti's music is a strong political statement that is a challenge to the status that is. He was a revolutionist who wanted to change the way Africans were treated. He utilized his music as a means of social protest and struggled against colonialism. His music had a profound impact on the lives of a lot of Africans and he'll be remembered for that. Throughout his career, Fela worked with various producers to develop his distinctive sound. One of these producers was EMI producer Jeff Jarratt and British dub master Dennis Bovell. His music was a mix of traditional African beats and American funk. This led to him having an international audience. He was a polarizing personality in the music industry and often criticized Western culture. Fela was famous for his controversial music and life style. He was a pot smoker and had a number of affairs with women. Despite his extravagant lifestyle, he was an activist and fought for the rights of the poor in Nigeria. His music influenced the lives of a variety of Africans and urged them to embrace their own culture.