Fela Kuti was a prominent figure in Nigerian music. He was born on October 15th, 1938 and was born in Abeokuta, Nigeria. His mother was a feminist and anti-colonist. His father was in the Nigerian teacher’s union. Fela Kuti studied music in London and a while later, he formed a group called, “Koola Lobitos”. The style of music that Fela Kuti did was called Afrobeat, which is a combination of jazz, funk, Ghanaian/Nigerian high-life, and traditional West African rhythm. Fela Kuti was one of the greatest Nigerian leaders.
He led people through his music. He was able to influence the Nigerian nation to open their eyes to other ways of life and to fight for their rights. The Nigerian government attempted to suppress the knowledge of the Nigerian citizens. Fela Kuti showed his followers and listeners that he did not fear the government and that neither should they. Through his confident music and spontaneous stage performances, Fela Kuti taunted the government and let the people know that they were not alone in the fight.
He also touched on other topics such as equality, character, and stereotypes. Fela Kuti showed two leadership styles during his lifetime. Those styles were the authoritative and the coaching style. He used authoritative style in his music by telling his listeners what a particular goal is and then he encourages them to follow the example. He uses coaching by showing what the problem is in the song and as the song progresses, he tells about how the problem can be changed. Fela Kuti was more of a trendsetter than a follower.
The Essay on Nigerian Music
MUSIC OF NIGERIAMusic is a transcendent experience, a ceremonial act that cleanses off the impurities of the soul and narrates, in its own idiom, a drama representing historical events as relating to a particular people. If intently listened to, music can tell more than historical facts ever could. It expresses the feelings of the people and it is an everlasting voice to past struggles against ...
He stuck his foot out first and everyone else followed which made him a more effective leader. There were two facts that were surprising about Fela Kuti. The first one was that he had twelve wives. Also, he died before he got a chance to raise his kids properly. After listening to Fela Kuti’s music, Nigerians began to fight for themselves and challenge the government. They began to take more action towards things that they disagreed with and felt should be changed. They no longer let the government control them.
