This year, annual music festival, Felabration will mark the 20th anniversary of the demise of human rights activist and creator of Afrobeat genre of music, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, aka Abami Eda. He died August 2, 1997.
However, 20 years down the line (and 19 years of Felabration), Fela’s legacy, the Afrobeat genre, seems to be getting a dissimilar perspective as a number of Nigerian musicians that claim to draw inspiration from Fela, have veered off the canons of Afrobeat as a tool to criticize inept leadership, and oppressive political dictatorship, while also speaking for the ‘voiceless’ masses like the Abami Eda did.
In truth, the Afrobeat genre has opened the way for many A-list artistes, including the likes of Wizkid, D’banj, Davido and Burna Boy, who are always quick to claim to be like ‘Baba Fela’. They perform on big stages, sampling the Afrobeat sound, lingo and lyrics to wow their audiences, but, more often than not, fail to pass messages like the late activist, or use their music as tool to lament the widespread suffering of the populace.
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