The Black President.

The 2023 NBA All Star Game in Salt Lake City, Utah was the first time an NBA halftime show was exclusively showcased by Afrobeat artists Rema, Tems and Burna Boy. It is needless to say how poignant and memorable this moment was for Nigerians, Africans, and Black people across the globe.

Music played a critical role during my upbringing in Cameroon, as I was exposed to music from all ends of the continent, and now that I think about it, I wonder how, in the absence of high-speed internet, music really transcended our borders – Maybe TV and radio? And probably word of mouth. A common social need for humans is to belong, to feel seen, and we all have the urge to be desired. This means, if I was spending time with my family or friends, and they were humming to a song on the radio I had never heard before, every time I heard that song, I would think of that friend, or family. Now, if I learned said song, I could sing it with my family member or friend, and suddenly we share a bond. This bond becomes tenacious over time, to the point where some people argue today that sharing playlists is a love language – It means I like your taste, and not only am I going to enjoy this music with you, I will also share my own music in hopes that I show you something you have never seen before, that you like, which in turn, affects your music palette.

Afrobeat as we know today originated from Lagos, Nigeria, and the most notable figures who contributed to the foundation and development of this music genre include Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti aka Fela Kuti and Tony Oladipo Allen aka Tony Allen. It was a combination of Yoruba music, funk, high life, salsa, calypso, and Fuji music. Among other artists, my father listened to a lot of Fela Kuti, and because I admired my father (and still do), I modeled him. So here I was, young boy, sitting by the dining room table, playing pinball on my father’s computer, and blasting Shakara on Media Player. Fela passionately and confidently defied corruption, greed and colonization through his songs and activism. He started being active in 1958, a period when African countries rose against European colonizers for their independence. To me, Fela became another way I could relate and build a bond with my father as his music was a symbol of manhood, audacity, and fervor.

Fela’s life journey can be described as “a transformation of British-trained Nigerian jazz trumpeter to black-nationalist countercultural dissident icon” (Moore); He was born into a middle-class family in Lagos, studied music in London, and kick-started his career as a jazz musician touring the US, where he started a relationship with Sandra Smith. Sandra was a singer and former Black Panther, who introduced Fela to the writings of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and other radical thinkers. By the time he returned to Nigeria in 1975, not only was he radicalized, but he changed his middle name “Ransome” to “Anikulapo” which means “he who carries death in his pouch” and nicknamed himself The Black President and the rest is history.

The Black President is a concept co-directed by Osagie and Yann for Black History Month, to spotlight the life of Fela Kuti and the key role he played in the creation of Afrobeat. This series features Osagie modeling with a saxophone, symbolizing Fela’s most notable musical instrument and his undying passion for music.

Something I learned yesterday at a Black History Month trivia game was the theme of this year’s Black History Month, which is Black Resistance. By speaking on crucial topics and contributing significantly to a new genre of music, Fela’s legacy is exactly the definition of Black Resistance and Black Resilience. Fela literally walked so that Burna, Rema, Tems, and all Nigerian artists could run.

Happy Black History Month!

References:

eruelrobins, P. by. (2017, April 26). Fela Kuti: The black president. Beyond the Single Story. Retrieved February 24, 2023, from https://beyondthesinglestory.wordpress.com/2017/02/26/fela-kuti-the-black-president/#:~:text=In%201975%2C%20he%20replaced%20his,and%20in%20his%20personal%20life.

Wikimedia Foundation. (2023, February 7). Afrobeat. Wikipedia. Retrieved February 24, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrobeat

Wikimedia Foundation. (2023, February 2). Tony Allen (musician). Wikipedia. Retrieved February 24, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Allen_(musician)

Wikimedia Foundation. (2023, February 17). Fela Kuti. Wikipedia. Retrieved February 24, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fela_Kuti