FELA AND THE DECLINE IN PROTEST MUSIC By DOTUN GEORGE In the world of music, Fela Anikulapo Kuti was a legend, Number one musician in Africa, king and creator of Afro-beat, social critic, activist and one of the best philosopher Africa ever had. He happens to be one of my favourite musician, because all his production are impacting, scinllating, revolutionary, philosophical and changing. When he was alive many thought Fela was crazy, unserious type and he never saw what was good in any government but now people who criticized him then now agreed that Fela served us very well and make reference to all his philosophical saying and songs. Years after the death of Nigeria’s iconoclastic musician, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, it is disappointing how music, which used to provide a weapon of social change, has greatly declined in Nigeria music landscape. No one needs to look any further than the illicit liaison between musician and government functionaries as the reason for this depreciating artistic role. It may be understandable that the August 2nd Annniversary of Fela’s death has been stylishly hijacked by all kinds of events that appeal to no aim than the pecuniary. It may even be excusable that children, siblings and core clan of legendary composer and performer, who naturally ought to have led in a productive commemoration of that anniversary, have all seemingly moved on in their different lives. But today. It is disagreeable, disappointing and damaging so, that the core essence that Fela’s music developed in to the last of his career, which intrinsically is an integral function of the arts, has been left unattended. In a country where sleeze and malfensances have permeated all nooks and crannies of political, socio-economic and retrogressively hypocritical religious lives, the musical art as a potent weapon that can be used to achieve specific goals now does little other than sing praises of people of questionable valve or simply got consumed with the sensual sleaze that has become a monstrous, industrial past time. People of every nationality are known to have been moved to speech or song by that which permeates the thoughts or appeals to the emotions in times of political turbulence. Music and the visionary musicians often performed their part in inciting lawful actions especially at time when deep commentaries are needed outside of government and soiled hands of the media. It is for this type of valve that was inherently popular in Fela’s music that is now missing the Nigeria current all type, but little substance music industry. For who could disagree that for patriotic and even prophetic reasons, Fela’s reasonably revolutionary stance is described well in songs like Beast of No Nation, International Thief Thief, overtake Don Overtake, Big Blind Country, Perambulator, suffer Head and Unknown soldier. He might have constituted himself as a one-man riot squad and suffer the physical and mental consequences. But Nigeria has continue to be a luck beneficiary of Fela’s musical Legacy gloriously apt evergreen musical commentary that details the atrocities of military dictators in Nigeria, their collaborators in civilian garb and the villainous looting of the nation’s collective wealth. Evidently, it is because the social and political necessities of his music one considered expedient that Fela has continued to remain relevant and is serving as the benchmark till today. Beyond the recessional sparkles of traditional poetry that have attempted to name as Fela did without overtly flouting the ethical requirement in music production, it is almost impossible to find a musician of national reckoning in Nigeria today brave enough to rouse attention let alone devotion in the mould of Fela. All over the country musician now rely on government patronage for survival. Those unable to sell records depend on government house wasteful dinners and functions to survive with their hands soiled, they sing praises of government and contractors and a dazed public looks on in disbelief. Desperately, the nation seamless in vain for popular music that can effectively function as a medium for messages at a time when alarmingly retrogressive developments have enveloped the nation. It is only when the musical arts, like the ethical and conscientious media, hold a prominent place in the ideological nationalism of this country that Fela’s death would have been truly commemorated.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Dec 2014 08:23:11 +0000
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