Fela Kuti- The dark side
In previous posts, I extolled in great detail the bright and wonderful side of Fela. I think in the Interest of balance It is necessary to highlight aspects of his being that were less than edifying.
2. Fela's rampant drug use negatively influenced, hundreds of impressionable young people, many of whom developed serious mental illness. His bizarre drug use was exemplified by the insanely large Marijuana joints he would smoke at his saturday shows, just before his death, often the size of a rolled tabloid newspaper.g
3. Fela, with all his leanings towards social justice, did not extend the same courtesy to his Band, they were paid extremely meagre wages and were never paid for recordings. Famously when his Lead Tenor Sax Player- The great Igo Chico, tried to lead a strike to protest for fair wages, Fela had him beaten up so badly he died a few years after from his Injuries. His argument however being that he provided them with accommodation and food, however this did not change even if the Band member resided outside of Fela's house.
5. Fela is rumoured to have often "borrowed" Music from other smaller bands without giving credit, this is however subject to great subjectivity unlike other facts raised here is not 100% proven.
6. Fela maintained an almost anarchical and dictatorial hold over the residents of his self styled republic, severe beatings for offenders who fell foul of his quaint rules were a daily occurrence. Thus contradicting his own stance against the Military dictatorship in Nigeria.
7. Fela was often averse to paying debts, famously getting a whole set of equipment from his good friend Roy Ayers and refusing to pay. It's however a mark of true character that inspite of the fact of what was a great betrayal, Roy Ayers still took it upon himself to help out Fela's son Seun with his education (alongside Paul McCartney).
8. Fela's so called wives apart from a couple, were reduced to prostitution a few years after the marriage, simply put, he couldn't care less.
All said, he was a man, he made his mistakes as we all do, its a question of degrees, but the effect of our weaknesses are the same. If any or all of us were to sit down and chronicle in honest detail our achievements, side by side with our errors, it might make interesting reading I assure you. The sum total is that he lived his live and brought great good and upliftment to many, whilst bringing woe to some, on the balance he shall be remembered for the good, as for the bad, well he suffered enough during his life to have achieved partial atonement for this, who are we however to judge?
1. Fela remained in denial of his HIV Infection and infected several innocent women, who naturally held him in awe. He either did not believe or chose not to believe he had contracted HIV and continued his hedonistic lifestyle even up t0 the stage, when his condition had developed into full-blown AIDS. At the time of his death, his brother Professor Koye Ransome-Kuti, the respected Nigerian Doctor and former Deputy Director General of the World Health Organisation revealed that he was suffering from the following illnesses- a. AIDS;
b. Herpes; c. Syphilis; d. Acute Gonorrhea, e. Chancroid and many more, the greater wonder being how he had managed to survive till he did with so many ailments in his system.
b. Herpes; c. Syphilis; d. Acute Gonorrhea, e. Chancroid and many more, the greater wonder being how he had managed to survive till he did with so many ailments in his system.
2. Fela's rampant drug use negatively influenced, hundreds of impressionable young people, many of whom developed serious mental illness. His bizarre drug use was exemplified by the insanely large Marijuana joints he would smoke at his saturday shows, just before his death, often the size of a rolled tabloid newspaper.g
3. Fela, with all his leanings towards social justice, did not extend the same courtesy to his Band, they were paid extremely meagre wages and were never paid for recordings. Famously when his Lead Tenor Sax Player- The great Igo Chico, tried to lead a strike to protest for fair wages, Fela had him beaten up so badly he died a few years after from his Injuries. His argument however being that he provided them with accommodation and food, however this did not change even if the Band member resided outside of Fela's house.
5. Fela is rumoured to have often "borrowed" Music from other smaller bands without giving credit, this is however subject to great subjectivity unlike other facts raised here is not 100% proven.
6. Fela maintained an almost anarchical and dictatorial hold over the residents of his self styled republic, severe beatings for offenders who fell foul of his quaint rules were a daily occurrence. Thus contradicting his own stance against the Military dictatorship in Nigeria.
7. Fela was often averse to paying debts, famously getting a whole set of equipment from his good friend Roy Ayers and refusing to pay. It's however a mark of true character that inspite of the fact of what was a great betrayal, Roy Ayers still took it upon himself to help out Fela's son Seun with his education (alongside Paul McCartney).
8. Fela's so called wives apart from a couple, were reduced to prostitution a few years after the marriage, simply put, he couldn't care less.
All said, he was a man, he made his mistakes as we all do, its a question of degrees, but the effect of our weaknesses are the same. If any or all of us were to sit down and chronicle in honest detail our achievements, side by side with our errors, it might make interesting reading I assure you. The sum total is that he lived his live and brought great good and upliftment to many, whilst bringing woe to some, on the balance he shall be remembered for the good, as for the bad, well he suffered enough during his life to have achieved partial atonement for this, who are we however to judge?
posted by Seal67 at 10:35 am
2 Comments:
Now, this is a part of the late music maestro that many of us didn't know about, Seal67.
It was really enlightening.
I hope our youth over here in Nigeria get to read this. There is so so so much that they can learn from this piece of news.
I am of Eastern Caribbean and Nigerian heritage. During my senior as an undergraduate, I was fortunate to have been awarded a work study (abroad) for one year in Lagos, Nigeria. Although it was the highlight of my academic career, I marvelled at how fortunate, I was to having been born and reared in the Eastern Caribbean.
On a personal note regarding "Fela" one I was walking from the ferry crossing in Apapa to my residence. I heard someone say "yu dey want a lift?" I said "no thank you." It was none other than Fela himself. He simply nodded and kept going. When I told a few folk about the encounter, the first thing they said, "oh he would never bother you." Yeah right' I was young, pretty, stylish and quite a looker..and even looked younger than some of his wives. There was not way I was getting into that man's car, whether he had good intentions or not. Incidentally, I did have the opportunity to go to his "Republic" one Sunday when a friend took me there. Should I be quite honest' I really was not impressed.
Long live Nigeria...as a child of her in the Diaspora, I call upon the ancestors to return my ancestral homeland to its rightful place on the Motherland.
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