Séun Anikulapo Kuti heeft ervoor gezorgd `Afro dat van zijn recente vader (Fela Anikulapo Kuti)' muzikale schittering en zijn band Egypte 80 sloeg, levend wordt gehouden.

Séun voert muziek van zowel het repertoire van zijn vader als van hem uit. Hij is een nauwkeurige replica van zijn vader - Fela Anikulapo Kuti (geboren Olufela Olusegun Oludotun ransome-Kuti, 15 Oktober, 1938 - Augustus 2, 1997), of eenvoudig Fela, die een Nigeriaan waren multi-instrumentalist musicus en componist, pionier van De muziek van Afrobeat, rechten van de mensactivist, en politieke non-conformist….

Seun Anikulapo Kuti & Egypte dat 80 in Dakar, Senegal presteert

Van Wikipedia: De Amerikaanse Zwarte beweging van de Macht beïnvloedde de politieke meningen van Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Hij was ook een verdediger van pan-Africanism en socialism ( hoewel in een documentaire van 1982 hij duidelijk kan worden gezien verwerpend zowel kapitalisme als socialism ten gunste van een derde manier die hij als Africanism beschreef), and called for a united, democratic African republic.

He was a fierce supporter of human rights, and many of his songs are direct attacks against dictatorships, specifically the militaristic governments of Nigeria in the 1970s and 1980s. He was also a social commentator, and criticized his fellow Africans (especially the upper class) for betraying traditional African culture. The African culture he believed in also included having many wives (polygyny) and the Kalakuta Republic was formed in part as a polygamist colony.

He defended his stance on polygyny with the words; “A man goes for many women in the first place. Like in Europe, when a man is married, when the wife is sleeping, he goes out and fucks around. He should bring the women in the house, man, to live with him, and stop running around the streets!.”

His views towards women are characterized by some as misogynist, with songs like “Mattress” typically cited as evidence. However, he also extols African womanhood in his song “Lady,” singing “Lady na (is) master.” It should be noted though that Fela was very open when it came to sex, as he portrayed in some of his songs, like “Open and Close” and “Na Poi.”

Fela once ran for the presidency of Nigeria on a platform of — Legalized Marijuana. The military Junta promptly locked him up! — – [more]

Fela Anikulapo Kuti — In Political Mood: Lamenting a corrupt Nigerian Govt.

Sadly, this great African Musician died in on on Saturday, August 2, 1997, at 4pm (local time) in Lagos, Nigeria. It had been rumoured for some time that Fela had a serious illness he was refusing treatment for, many said he was suffering from prostate cancer. But as it turns out, Fela died from complications due to AIDS. As Fela’s brother, Olikoye Ransome Kuti, said at a news conference: “The immediate cause of death of Fela was heart failure, but there were many complications arising from the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.”…[more]

RELATED:

1. From AfroPop.Org — Séun Kuti & Egypt 80, North American Tour and NYC Debut 2007: Séun Kuti and Egypt 80 - his father Fela’s fabled afrobeat band - wowed an exuberant sold-out crowd as they made their New York City debut on July 1st, 2007 at SOB’s.

Everyone was very curious to see what Séun was like, and man, he did not disappoint. What a performer! Singer, sax player, charismatic, bright, and a joyful, quirky dancer - this guy has it all. Someone in the crowd was overheard saying, “A star is born.” Séun shined performing both Fela’s repertoire and his own. Banning Eyre’s photographs tell the story.

2. Seun Anikulapo Kuti’s MySpace Page

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Racist Incidents Give Some Obama Campaigners Pause — Especially in Indiana and Pennsylvania, states which harbor numerous hate groups, and have been Ku Klux Klan strongholds for many years.

For all the hope and excitement Obama’s candidacy is generating, some of his field workers, phone-bank volunteers and campaign surrogates are encountering a raw racism and hostility that have gone largely unnoticed — and unreported — this election season.

Doors have been slammed in their faces. They’ve been called racially derogatory names (including the white volunteers). And they’ve endured malicious rants and ugly stereotyping from people who can’t fathom that the senator from Illinois could become the first African American president.

The contrast between the large, adoring crowds Obama draws at public events and the gritty street-level work to win votes is stark. The candidate is largely insulated from the mean-spiritedness that some of his foot soldiers deal with away from the media spotlight.

Victoria Switzer, a retired social studies teacher, was on phone-bank duty one night during the Pennsylvania primary campaign. One night was all she could take: “It wasn’t pretty.” She made 60 calls to prospective voters in Susquehanna County, her home county, which is 98 percent white. The responses were dispiriting. One caller, Switzer remembers, said he couldn’t possibly vote for Obama and concluded: “Hang that darky from a tree!“…..[more]

RELATED: Racism alarms Obama’s backers - Candidate’s foot soldiers encounter name-calling, vandalism, bomb threats

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