Fela Anikulapo Kuti is certainly one of the major figures of 20th century music. In his lifetime, he became the legendary Afrobeat superstar, freedom fighter and counter-cultural figure in Nigeria and throughout West Africa, but little known outside. Fourteen years after his untimely death from complications arising from AIDS , his musical influence, legacy, myth and record sales are in full bloom across the world. But Fela remains an explosively controversial figure. The details and the significance of his life and of his legacy have become mythologised on the one hand and tidied up and made into a corporate heritage industry on the other. This book charts a way into the labyrinth. Filled with a beguiling cacophony of voices, friends, family, musicians, critics, journalists, queens, residents of his Kalakuta commune…, all talk about Fela: agreeing and disagreeing, accusing and supporting, rejoicing and mourning, criticising and applauding. Neither account nor biography …its more like a time capsule (circa 2004/5) of a living breathing conversation/discussion/forum about Fela, a man they all knew. Based round the 40 hours of recorded interviews with key people in Fela’s life (some now sadly departed), which took place on three continents on the way to making the authors’ Sunday feature ‘In Search of Fela Anikulapo Kuti’ (for BBC Radio 3), plus new interviews, including Brian Eno and Val Wilmer, the book shapes the contributions into the thematic contours of Fela’s life.

Fela Anikulapo Kuti is certainly one of the major figures of 20th century music. In his lifetime, he became the legendary Afrobeat superstar, freedom fighter and counter-cultural figure in Nigeria and throughout West Africa, but little known outside. Fourteen years after his untimely death from complications arising from AIDS , his musical influence, legacy, myth and record sales are in full bloom across the world. But Fela remains an explosively controversial figure. The details and the significance of his life and of his legacy have become mythologised on the one hand and tidied up and made into a corporate heritage industry on the other. This book charts a way into the labyrinth. Filled with a beguiling cacophony of voices, friends, family, musicians, critics, journalists, queens, residents of his Kalakuta commune…, all talk about Fela: agreeing and disagreeing, accusing and supporting, rejoicing and mourning, criticising and applauding. Neither account nor biography …its more like a time capsule (circa 2004/5) of a living breathing conversation/discussion/forum about Fela, a man they all knew. Based round the 40 hours of recorded interviews with key people in Fela’s life (some now sadly departed), which took place on three continents on the way to making the authors’ Sunday feature ‘In Search of Fela Anikulapo Kuti’ (for BBC Radio 3), plus new interviews, including Brian Eno and Val Wilmer, the book shapes the contributions into the thematic contours of Fela’s life.

The story of Fela’s childhood and youth as told by his aunt the late Dolu Ransome Kuti, his cousin Yemisi, his childhood friend (and later PR man) J.K Braimah, Faisal Helwani, his Ghana based agent and co-producer and Michael E. Veale, professor of Musicology at Yale and Fela’s definitive biographer

His student years at Trinity College of Music in London. The other voices are now joined by Val Wilmer, renowned writer, photographer and documenter of Jazz, African and Caribbean music, and Benson Idonije veteran Nigerian journalist and earliest manager to Fela

Fela returns to Lagos determined to turn West Africa on to Highlife Jazz with his band Koola Lobitos. It doesn’t quite work. The voice of Tony Allen, who created the rhythmic foundation of Afrobeat whom many believe to be one of the worlds finest ever kit drummers, joins the story.

On what became a 10 month stay in the USA for him and his band now known as Nigeria ’70, Fela discovers the politics of Black Power, of Liberation, of the US Counter Culture and a new radical take on African history. The plethora of voices telling the story are joined by Sandra Smith (now Sandra Izsadore), then an active member of the Black Panther Party and Fela’s lover and political and musical catalyst.

Fela and Africa ’70 return to Lagos and Afrobeat rapidly goes nuclear, both musically and politically/subversively. Fela becomes a superstar, creates his commune/ micro-state the Kalakuta Republic, his club The Shrine and the police begin to harass and raid his compound. The chorus of voices is joined by John Collins, Fela’s friend/ musical associate, musician, writer, broadcaster, producer, Professor of Music at The University of Ghana Legon

The build up to the deadly raid on Fela’s Kalakuta compound by 1000 soldiers from the Nigerian Army which led to the death of Fela’s mother, the burning of his house, the assaults on his singers and dancers. And of course its aftermath and the end of a musical era when Tony Allen leaves the band. Fehintola Anikulapo Kuti, one of Fela’s ‘queens’ and mother of his son Seun, Fela fanatic Brian Eno and Fela’s musical protégé, Dele Sosimi , join the massed voices.

Fela’s politics and political ambitions. Voices now include music journalist and academic Vivienne Goldman

A discussion of Fela’s complex relationship with women, including his simultaneous marriage to the 27 ‘queens’ and the subsequent simultaneous divorce, the working polygamy model that operated in Fela’s household, the women who guided his path and sparked his political ideas. Vivienne Goldman, Sandra Izadore and Fehintola take the lead , with producer and bass player Dennis Bovell and Kalakutan percussionist Lekan Babalola telling it like they thought it was from their male viewpoints.

Where did Fela’s music go to in his final two decades? Dele Sosimi, Vivienne Goldman, Brian Eno along with Fela’s oldest son Femi Kuti and others muse upon what Fela called his African Classical Music

We hear of his death, his massive mass funeral and then of his continuing and growing career…as he becomes all manner of things to all manner of people: everything from unstoppable musical influence to orisha, from best selling artist to Broadway musical ikon. But has this immortal power and legacy been worthily popularised and promulgated or has it just been more aggressively marketed now that Fela has no say in what happens to his music? Is history a possibility for Fela in the popular realm, or only hype? Have the Vagabonds in Power (VIP) and the International Thief Thief (ITT) bought up/colonised the man who had death in his pouch (Anikulapo)? Every voice in the book certainly has something to say about all that…including his youngest son Seun Kuti, Andres Levin, musical director of the Red Hot and Fela album which raised funds for Aids awareness, and Trevor Schoonmaker, curator of Black President , the first major cross-artform exhibition of the Art and Legacy of Fela.

Fela Anikulapo Kuti is certainly one of the major figures of 20th century music. In his lifetime, he became the legendary Afrobeat superstar, freedom fighter and counter-cultural figure in Nigeria and throughout West Africa, but little known outside. Fourteen years after his untimely death from complications arising from AIDS , his musical influence, legacy, myth and record sales are in full bloom across the world. But Fela remains an explosively controversial figure. The details and the significance of his life and of his legacy have become mythologised on the one hand and tidied up and made into a corporate heritage industry on the other. This book charts a way into the labyrinth. Filled with a beguiling cacophony of voices, friends, family, musicians, critics, journalists, queens, residents of his Kalakuta commune…, all talk about Fela: agreeing and disagreeing, accusing and supporting, rejoicing and mourning, criticising and applauding. Neither account nor biography …its more like a time capsule (circa 2004/5) of a living breathing conversation/discussion/forum about Fela, a man they all knew. Based round the 40 hours of recorded interviews with key people in Fela’s life (some now sadly departed), which took place on three continents on the way to making the authors’ Sunday feature ‘In Search of Fela Anikulapo Kuti’ (for BBC Radio 3), plus new interviews, including Brian Eno and Val Wilmer, the book shapes the contributions into the thematic contours of Fela’s life.

Fela Anikulapo Kuti is certainly one of the major figures of 20th century music. In his lifetime, he became the legendary Afrobeat superstar, freedom fighter and counter-cultural figure in Nigeria and throughout West Africa, but little known outside. Fourteen years after his untimely death from complications arising from AIDS , his musical influence, legacy, myth and record sales are in full bloom across the world. But Fela remains an explosively controversial figure. The details and the significance of his life and of his legacy have become mythologised on the one hand and tidied up and made into a corporate heritage industry on the other. This book charts a way into the labyrinth. Filled with a beguiling cacophony of voices, friends, family, musicians, critics, journalists, queens, residents of his Kalakuta commune…, all talk about Fela: agreeing and disagreeing, accusing and supporting, rejoicing and mourning, criticising and applauding. Neither account nor biography …its more like a time capsule (circa 2004/5) of a living breathing conversation/discussion/forum about Fela, a man they all knew. Based round the 40 hours of recorded interviews with key people in Fela’s life (some now sadly departed), which took place on three continents on the way to making the authors’ Sunday feature ‘In Search of Fela Anikulapo Kuti’ (for BBC Radio 3), plus new interviews, including Brian Eno and Val Wilmer, the book shapes the contributions into the thematic contours of Fela’s life.