Few figures have left such an impression on the African music scene as Nigeria’s Fela Kuti. As we celebrate what would have been his 86th birthday, we explore the legacy he left behind.
Fela Anikulapo Kuti and his musical family have done much to shape Nigerian arts, culture and politics. His mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, was a revolutionary who organised Nigerian women to fight neo-colonialism and capitalist exploitation. Fela Kuti in turn understood his role as an artist in the service of African liberation. Now his children carry on their father’s musical legacy, with son Seun Kuti also actively engaged in keeping alive the pan-African and socialist politics of his family.