Afrobeat Influence on Nigerian Politics - Research Paper Example

Introduction

Since time immemorial, music has always been used as a potent weapon for political reformation, revolution, and social reconstruction. Musicians in the past utilized music as a channel of bringing restoration to the justice system, spreading information, and condemning social evils in society. Throughout history, many musicians in Nigeria have drawn inspiration from the political aspects and ideologies, and have since worked tirelessly on raising awareness among the populations to fight for their rights. The pioneers of the resulting revolutions have encountered unbending resistance from the national authorities, leading to property loss, loss of freedom, and loss of life in extreme situations. However, other pioneers refused to bow into submission and made it through the turbulences. As a result, they gained popular admiration in the end. Fela Anikulapo is a classic example of the pioneers who endured through the political thick and thins to influence Nigeria's people to stand up for their rights and condemn political malice. He created the Afro-beat music genre, through which he communicated revolutionary messages that influenced the country’s political atmosphere.

Afro-beat continued to advance in popularity, and in the 1970s, it was recognized as a counterculture. It was a time when Nigerians were governed through a dictatorship. The music genre had already gathered a multitude of followers from a large part of Nigeria. Regular gatherings were held at Afrika Shrine, where Fela performed his music. His life revolved around music performance and leading movements against Christianity, Islam, and the West (Juang, Morrissette & Fullmer, 2008). His home was raided in 1974 and was arrested for owning Indian hemp. He was later released from jail within a short time, instead of the expected ten years. The event changed his views on the judiciary system and its significance to society. He dropped one of his names that had an affiliation to the West and took up "Anikulapo” (Juang et al., 2008). He also named his community "Kalakuta Republic," after the name he was given by his inmates while in jail. "Kalakuta" translates to the rascal, which implies his relentless commitment to rebellion. He did not stop producing music that was derisive of the political system. As a result, he experienced constant violent home raids and censorship (Juang et al., 2008). State-owned media houses were even barred from playing his content.

Until his death, Fela was identified as a political giant. He strongly spoke out against Nigeria's corruption perpetrated by the government and how they mistreated the citizens (Olaleye & Osuagwu, 2020). He criticized colonialism, which he was firmly convinced that is the origin of socio-economic and political difficulties that overwhelmed his country. Nigeria was reportedly among the leading countries in corruption during that time. The Nigerian government was characterized by rigging elections and constant coups that plunged the country deeper into abject poverty, increased unemployment, political instability, and financial inequality (Olaleye & Osuagwu, 2020). Fela’s political statements and protest songs echoed the sentiments associated with the corruption that plagued the country (Juang et al., 2008). His intense vocalization of the tyrannical regime was met with more than 200 arrests in his lifetime, violence from the government officials, and destruction of his properties (Olaleye & Osuagwu, 2020). His resilience in the face of constant battles from the government earned him popularity and admiration all over Africa. This study analyzes several aspects of Afro-beat genre of music and how Fela's music influenced Nigeria's politics, way of life, and legacy in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Aims of the study

This study aims to:

• Establish how Fela's genre of music affected Nigeria's politics between the 19th to 20th centuries.
• Find out how Fela's music created a way of life in Nigeria between the 19th to 20th centuries.
• Determine the legacy created by the Afro-beat genre of music in Nigeria.

Review of literature

How Fela's genre of music affected Nigeria's politics between the 19th to 20th century

Fela’s outspoken nature and popularity led him to change the perception of music from a form of art to a socio-political means of impacting change. One of his songs, back in 1984, harshly and openly criticized the president of the federal republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, who was authoritarian. The song is named "Beast Of No Nation." In this song, he refers to the president as an animal masked in a mad man’s body, implying his cruel dictatorship. He repeatedly scathingly denounced the corrupt political and justice system through his songs (Onyebadi, 2018). Referring to the V.I.P.s as Vagabonds In Power, instead of Very Important Persons.

Fela’s efforts to mobilize the public to see the leadership through his eyes and boldly move towards impacting change without the military and police's fear were fruitless. According to Spencer (2010), despite his unflinching spirit in the face of hostile, violent encounters from Nigeria's authorities, most people of Nigeria were not bold enough to lead a revolution. He tried to charm away their fear by telling Nigerian’s that “a police uniform is just a piece of clothing sewn by the same tailors who sew your clothes” (Spencer, 2010). In one of his songs, he criticizes his natives for their extreme worship of authority and cowardice “my people are scared of the air around them; they always have an excuse not to fight for freedom” (Spencer, 2010). He went as far as establishing a political party, the People's Movement, and ran for the presidency in 1979. However, the military wrecked his candidacy. The fear of the consequences of going against an authoritarian government led the people to coil into cynicism to mask their fear, instead of being radical.

Even though he failed to turn the table politically and lead with integrity as he desired, Fela's musical influence awakened the citizens and motivated them to fight against injustice. Even before his death, there were several measures taken by the public and some people in government to end military rule. When general Abdulsalam replaced Abacha in the presidency in 1998, he instituted many reforms, including freeing political prisoners (Faleyimu, 2014). He also established measures to ensure power was transferred from the military to the civilians.

Fela strongly supported the traditional African religion and lifestyles. He was a great supporter of the ideologies presented in Pan-Africanism and socialism. Through his songs, he strongly encouraged and strengthened Africans towards a common goal, resistance to colonialism, and subsequent effects (Ogunyemi, 2020). He openly denounced the corruption and injustices going on in social systems, such as the judiciary. Ogunyemi (2020) contends that Fela believed that the most effective way of fighting European imperialism was through maintaining and practicing African culture. America's Black Power Movement strongly backed up his convictions. In his efforts to uphold the African culture despite strong influence from the West, he candidly criticized the U.S. for launching psychological warfare against Africans (Ogunyemi, 2020). At a meeting in Amsterdam, he pointed out that American organizations such as I.T.T. and the C.I.A. used a language that meant to demean and make inferior developing nations. Terms like "third world," "undeveloped," or "non-aligned countries" gave the impression that these nations were inferior, and he believed that they should not be used.

Part of the African culture that Fela Kuti upheld and is still practiced up to now is polygamy. The Kalakuta Republic that he formed during the revolution was a polygamist colony. To defend his advocacy for polygamy, he said: “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 sleeps around. He should bring the women in the house, man, to live with him, and stop running around the streets!” (Babalola, 2018). In his song "Lady," he mocks the way African women aspire European standards of womanhood while tossing away their value of the "market woman" (Babalola, 2018). In 1978, he married multiple women simultaneously to prove his point.

How Fela's genre of music created a way of life

One of the philosophies evident throughout his life is his love for humanity. He was arrested on countless occasions for being outspoken and fighting for human rights. His songs about injustice and oppression brought him frequent struggles with the government authorities. Songs, including "Beasts Of No Nation" with a refrain "Animal can't dash me human rights," candidly addressed President Babangida's military regime. According to Bryce, the president "used the human rights issue as a justification for seizing power in 1985" (Anikulapo‐Kuti, 1989). In his interview with Bryce, Fela strongly expressed concerns for his countrymen. He reported that his people are starving, and the justice systems are deeply embedded in corruption. Anyone in an authoritative capacity such as the army or the police uses every opportunity to fork out bribes from the civilians. He states: “if you are in any kind of trouble, you ‘settle’ it before they let you go. When Babangida came to England to see Margaret Thatcher, Nigerians said he came to ‘settle’” (Anikulapo‐Kuti, 1989). From bribery and corruption to unnecessary arrests, Nigeria's level of oppression was increasingly suffocating day by day.

Being outspoken, he used his music concerts as channels of communications to the people of Nigeria. From the interview, one of his concerts, with an audience of roughly more than 20 000 college students from all over Nigeria, had to be canceled right before performance due to heavy police presence that threatened to shoot people if anyone dared enter the stadium. He declared his conviction at the interview that “the Nigerian government has no moral right to condemn the Botha regime for violating the rights of our brothers and sisters in South Africa” (Anikulapo‐Kuti, 1989). As unthinkable as it sounds, one of the duties he promised to execute once elected as the president of Nigeria was to make everyone a police officer. He said that before a police officer thinks of slapping a citizen, he would have to think twice because that is a fellow officer. His resilient spirit did not deter him from actively and candidly speaking out against corrupt and unjust leaders. At one time, he said: "They want to scare me off coming home, but nothing they can do will keep me out of my country. I must go home. I've been through prison before, practicing for the future. I learnt how to get bored. That's all they can do to me. there's no way they can prevent me from going back" (Anikulapo‐Kuti, 1989).

Fela’s choice of clothing and fashion significantly reflected his political views. Not only did he have an excellent taste in fashion, but he also used it to express his bravado and strong denunciation of Western ideals. According to Durosomo (2017), Fela habitually appeared in public shirtless, with only large beads hung on his neck. Sometimes he wore “Ankara jumpsuits, and matching tops and bottoms, or simply in his underwear” (Durosomo, 2017). Fela’s decision to adorn only underwear publicly strongly demonstrated his strong aversion towards the Western culture that was rapidly erasing the preexisting Traditional African Culture. He even appeared for interviews and public gatherings in his undergarments, which was translated to Westernization criticism. Durosomo (2017) further contends that his openly rebellious sense of fashion was integrated into the people's way of life, particularly those around him. This is evidenced by the traditional ceremonial attire that the 27 women he married in one ceremony adorned. They were collectively referred to as “Fela Kuti Queens." Durosomo (2017) reports that “with their beaded braids, head wraps, and elaborate ceremonial face paint, these women effortlessly defied Eurocentric beauty standards.”

His strong aversion to Western ideals is also demonstrated through his song "Gentleman." He narrates his friend's story, who has adapted the European mode of dressing despite making him extremely uncomfortable. Durosomo (2017) describes an excerpt from his song: “Africa hot, I like am so. I know what to wear, but my friends don't know. Him put him socks, him put him shoe. Him put him pant, him put him singlet. Him put him trouser, him put him shirt. Him put him tie, him put him coat. Him come cover all with him hat. Him be gentleman. Him go sweat all over, him go faint right down. Him go smell like shit Him go piss for body, him no go know. Me I no be gentleman like that."

Marijuana is a sensitive topic globally among youth and young adults today. The authorities' efforts to stop the cultivation and use of the drug have fruitless as the users always find a way. Although it is lawfully prohibited in Nigeria, just like in most countries, people still smoke in clubs, streets, markets, among other social recreation sites. Fela was particularly an unrepentant marijuana smoker and actively promoted this culture. His legacy, constructed by his son, Femi Kuti, the New Afrika Shrine, became a marijuana smoking joint. Despite the warning written on the shrine walls that "Drugs are not Allowed in the Shrine," there was an invisible trade of marijuana going on. Only the buyers could identify the sellers. In his lifetime. Fela was arrested on several occasions for possession of Indian Hemp, as marijuana was commonly known. In his Kalakuta Republic, people practiced African traditional religion and freely smoked marijuana, or Igbo. The smoking culture continues to be common, especially among the youths, despite restrictive measures by the authorities to ensure it is completely banned.

Methodology

Textual analysis of lyrics.

Fela Kuti’s songs conveyed a wide range of radical and political messages through his music. To address his songs' political influence on Nigeria, the thematic issues around seven of his song will be intricately analyzed. Several political and social realities are evident in his songs, including personal and collective identity, the inhumanity of the political class, senselessness of the soldiers and police force, corruption, and exploitation of African countries by Europe, religion as a tool for exploiting Africans, and colonization. These issues significantly define Nigeria’s socio-political atmosphere. The songs are from the albums Authority Stealing, Beast of no Nation, Colomentality, International Thief Thief, Original Suffer Head, Suffering and Smiling, and Zombie. Most of his songs are in Nigerian Pidgin and Yoruba. For this analysis, direct English translations are used. The most relevant parts of the songs have been extracted for textual analysis.

Personal and collective identity

Fela has portrayed self-identity and individualism ideology in his songs. His frequent use of personal pronouns signifies personality. Several excerpts from the International Thief demonstrate this fact.

“Well, I want to say the truth again

I want to say the truth again

If I am lying Orisa should punish me

Ifa should punish me”

According to Ajayi (2017), pronouns are defined as "a class of words which fills the position of nouns or noun phrases, and which substitutes for, or cross-refers to, other expressions." Their purpose is to develop certain identities when used in place of nouns. Fela portrays himself as a particular individual, set apart from the other, through the use of personal pronouns "I," "me," and "myself." He is not a thief like other individuals that he refers to. This song reveals his strong confidence in the sense of individualism and identity. There is a clear demarcation between Fela and the ‘thieves’ who have exploited the land resources.

Fela Kuti also portrays collectivism ideology and collective identity through the use of personal pronouns that signify that. The nouns "we" and us" are commonly used in his songs to collectively identify himself with his countrymen who experience the cruel effects of corruption, injustice, and other forms of oppression. From Authority Stealing, this excerpt brings out collective identity.

“We Africans must do something about this nonsense

I repeat, We Africans must do something about this nonsense”

Similarly, from “Beasts of No Nation," he identifies with the oppression and repression, and the violation of human rights by the political class when he sings:

“And they want to give us human rights

Animals want to give us human rights”

Fels's identification with his countrymen's struggles aims to evoke a response from Nigerians by raising awareness of the injustices deeply rooted in the political system by tyrannical leadership. He hopes that his songs will appeal to their consciousness and catalyze them to action aimed towards revolution (Ajayi, 2017). Fela believes that a successful revolution cannot be achieved single-handedly; there is a need to recruit masses to form a stronger and highly motivated group. The utilization of the pronouns "we" and "us" has effectively demonstrated the collectivist ideology. "We" and "us" represent Kuti and the Nigerian population, who rebelled against the oppressive political class.

The inhumanity of the political class

The political class in Nigeria were strikingly different from the common citizens. It was characterized by oppression and exploitation of public resources. They also lived lavishly while the common citizens wallowed in abject poverty. Corruption was deep-rooted in the political system that the country's economic development came at a standstill, with high inflation and unemployment crisis. Fela used his musical talent to fight corruption and criticize politicians who abused their power. According to Onyebadi (2018), he was particularly concerned with "tyrannical leadership, political instability, flagrant disregard for rules, and entrenched nepotism as the currency of official transactions . . . His exasperations seem to be not so much with the crises as with their seeming permanence, their normalization." When Fela uses the pronoun "them," he is referring to the political class (Ajayi, 2017). Most of his songs reveal the use of third-person "they' or "them," and the second person "you" to be about the political class. In some instances, he called out names to refer to them, such as "Animal." The use of different pronouns sets apart the political class from ordinary Nigerian citizens. The following excerpt from “Beast Of No Nation” clearly highlights this:

“Animals’ discussion has started again

Give them human rights

And they want to give us human rights

Animals must talk to human beings”

In this excerpt, registers his disapproval of the military government that was ruling at that time. The regime does not care about people. Ajayi (2017) described that the military government's major participants included the army, the police, and the judicial system members. He satirizes this political system and describes these participants as animals since they have no regard for the human rights for the citizens of Nigeria and dignity. This excerpt depicts how the leaders, "animals," have no value or respect for humanity. They have disregarded the human right of their citizens.

“Human rights is rightfully mine

They want to give us human rights

And together they want to give us human rights

Animals want to give us human rights

Animals cannot give me human rights”

The senselessness of the soldiers

Fela's ideological submission of the soldiers' senselessness can be attributed to the way Nigerian army operated during the military regime. The army is an institution of discipline, founded on strict rules and regulations that members are obligated to adhere to. All decisions pertaining to the system are made by the highest chain of command, therefore, junior officers’ primary duty is to implement these decisions. During operations, the junior officers are in no capacity to make new decisions on their own. Fela was convinced that no rational system would operate like that. Some instances require individuals to make rational and immediate decisions without influence from anyone. This was not possible with the Nigerians army, and therefore, to him, the soldiers were zombies, fools, and senseless human beings. To him, an army is a tool used by the political class to execute their oppression, and their mode of operation is not acceptable to the Nigerian population of the common citizen. The following excerpt from the song Zombies demonstrates his belief:

“Fool (2ce)

A fool will not move unless asked to

A fool will not stop (moving/walking) unless asked to

Fool

Go and kill

Go and die

Go and destroy”

Corruption

It would be an indisputable fact to purport that all Fela's songs are themed around Nigeria's political class being corrupt. The political class is made up of those in government; they are either military or civilians. The police are also part of the political class. Fela’s songs demean the political class. According to Ajayi (2017), in Fela's opinion, "they are actors in the Nigerian political space, and corrupt." The excerpt below demonstrates it:

“I read about one of them in a book

They call him I.T.T. (International Thief Thief)

They will cause confusion

Cause corruption

Cause oppression

Cause inflation”

The excerpt captures Fela’s lecture to the political class. He points out their corrupt nature, and refers to them as “international thief” as they have embezzled public funds, meant for development. He accuses them to be the cause to the consequences of corruption; including high inflation, and oppression, which overwhelm the common Nigerian countryman. The linguistic strategy employed in this excerpt through the use of pronoun “they” clearly demarcates the political class from Fela and the other countrymen. Ajayi (2017) is of the opinion that he uses this pronoun to create a despicable identity of the political class.

From the same song, Fela projects Europe as a corrupt continent. He is convinced that the continent’s sole interest in in exploiting African resources. However, they are cunning enough to do this under the guise of contributing to Nigeria’s economic development. They have created companies in Africa. To keep Africans naïve and unaware, they use English in their operations, yet the language is not understood by a significant percentage of the African population. In the excerpt below, he strongly condescends this act, and is disgusted by it.

“Say it (2ce)

Many foreign

Companies are in Africa

To cart away our resources

(including money)

They are fond of writing

Esoteric English in newspapers

To confuse us Africans I once read in a book”

Religion as a tool for exploitation

There are two officially recognized religions by the state: Islam and Christianity. Traditional religion is practiced and socially recognized, but not on an official capacity. Through the traditional religion, Nigerians can adore their supernatural being in their traditional way. Fela portrays himself as a traditionalist, even in religion. He strongly identifies with the Yoruba traditional religion and detests any other religion without roots in African beliefs. This says a lot for his vehement criticism of the Western religions: Islam and Christianity. He satirically describes the leaders of the Western religions. He states that they are people who make themselves wealthy through the hard-earned resources of their followers. Ajayi (2017) contends that in Fela's opinion, "these religious leaders are capitalists and exploiters who blindfold their followers with the tenets of their religions." The excerpt below clearly demonstrated this theme.

“Cast your mind back to any kind of church

Any kind of mosque

Any celestial

Including Seraphim and Cherubim…

Suffer in the world

Enjoy in paradise

In Spiritum Heavenius

Muslims would shout

Allahu Akbar

Being Archbishop is a form of enjoyment

Being a pope is a form of enjoyment

Being an Imam is living in luxury…”

Fela calls out on his countrymen to stay alert and come out of the darkness that has been laid upon them by the Western religion. He points out how deceitful the religious leaders are, particularly when they use injunctions such as the happiness they will experience in heaven if and when they suffer in their lifetime on earth. According to Fela, the followers have been deluded into giving out their resources (tithes and offerings) to the leaders, who live luxuriously, while they hold on to the promise of their heavenly rewards. His view on the Western religion is based on the fact that the African culture and values are not in sync with them, and they do not represent Africans in any way.

Colonial ideology

According to Ajayi (2017), Fela portrays Europeans as “intruders who had come to superimpose their barbaric culture on the highly cherished African way of life.” This was in particular reference to the colonizers. As a result, there was cultural imperialism experienced among Africans. Africans began to prefer adorning Western clothing to African wear. They downgraded their language to learn and speak the White man language. They even structured their houses to take after the designs from Western culture. Clearly, the adoption of Western culture among Africans has consequently changed their way of thinking. To Fela, they have become psychological captives to the White man, unable to make meaningful progress on their own. The following excerpt from the song International Thief Thief describes the way of life of Africans before the Europeans “intruded”.

“Long before now

The African man would not carry feces

We used to defecate in the pit toilet

It is called salanga in Yoruba…

Before we were forced as slaves

During the time that they came, and forced us as slaves

It was the European man that was known for carrying feces

It is part of their culture to carry feces

During the time they came to colonize us they taught us how to carry feces."

Through this song, Fela is portrayed as anti-European. He specifically refers to the way Africans would defecate before the Europeans colonized them. He goes ahead and mentions the specific communities and how they would dispose of their feces. Before colonization, Africans used the pit toilet system, and it was widely accepted and practiced. The Europeans introduced the water closet system during colonization. In Fela’s opinion, Africans had an organized way of going about their affairs before the White man came. He purports that the coming of the white man brought more harm than good to the African culture and Africans generally.

Fela Kuti’s Legacy

Fela has been and will always be remembered for his bold outspokenness, particularly on matters that affected humanity, through his music. To commemorate him, a yearly festival called “felabration” is held (Schoonmaker & Bandele-Thomas, 2003). Since his death, other musicians have tried to keep his musical banner ablaze. New band like Antibalas have carried on with afro-beat to a new generation of audience. The universal music France remastered his 45 albums in 1999 and released them on compact disks. Some musicians even remade some of his songs (Schoonmaker & Bandele-Thomas, 2003). Bilal, an American singer, did a cover of his song "Sorrow Tears and Blood", in his second album. He acknowledged Kuti's music's excellent taste and the significant impact it had on his music (Schoonmaker & Bandele-Thomas, 2003). Several literary works inspired by the life of Fela have been written and acted out. In 1982, a book Fela! Fela! This Bitch of a Life was written by Carlos Moore, and later in 2008, there was a film production based on the book (Schoonmaker & Bandele-Thomas, 2003). There are several award-winning works of art associated with Fela produced since his death, and continue to entertain, educate, and impact people's lives meaningfully.

Conclusion

Throughout history, music has been used for entertainment and communication purposes in most communities. It is established that music is a universal language, and that one does not really need to understand a language for them to enjoy the music. However, to Fela, not only was music a form of art but also a political weapon. He lived during a period in which the military regime oppressed, repressed, and violated the common citizen's human rights. The dictatorship made people cower into fear and silence due to threats. Fela used his music to speak out against the political class's ills and try to appeal to the Nigerian people's consciousness not to follow the European culture and values blindly. In his quest, he remained resilient and bold, and his powerful music contributed to the significant steps towards revolution and the end of the military regime in 1999. His artistic composition depicts his songs' major themes, that is, corruption of the political class, colonial ideology, and religious exploitation.