If you fancy a night out in Lagos circa 1978 with the great Fela Anikulapo Kuti, then step into the Eugene O' Neill Theater in New York City. I'm still dancing to the Afrobeat two days later -- what a night of entertainment.
Fela! is a new Broadway show that follows the life of Fela Anikulapo Kuti, one of Africa's most influential musicians. The theater has been decorated to look very much like The Shrine, Fela's nightclub in Lagos, Nigeria. Fela used his unique brand of funk music, called Afrobeat, as a social weapon against the brutal military dictatorships that were mismanaging Nigeria at the time. His lyrics spoke of the corruption by the government, multi-nationals and army who controlled the country's resources. He was arrested and beaten on many occasions, but he played on and refused to keep quiet.
The show Fela! follows a typical night in da Shrine, with amazing choreography and Fela holding court with witty dialogue, fantastic music and thought provoking social commentary. Fela married 27 women at once in 1978 and most of them were his back up singers and dancers. In the show Fela! there are nine women gyrating and singing in almost every scene. The energy is simply fantastic.
The original Shrine was burned to the ground by the authorities in 1977. Fela Kuti's son, Femi Kuti opened the New Africa Shrine in 2000 in the same neighborhood of Lagos. Things haven't changed much, the Nigerian authorities closed it down last May, 2009 -- "in retaliation for the criticism Femi has launched, in posters all over Lagos, calling for the return of electricity in his impoverished neighborhood and inciting his neighbors to revolt against the ever-deteriorating conditions prevalent in their increasingly precarious lives." (source: Jambase).
I was struck by how similar Fela Kuti's story is to that of Bob Marley, but with an extra mega-dose of energy. I probably wouldn't feel too safe going out on my own to find a local nightclub in either Lagos or Kingston, so thank you Broadway for a great African night out. Go and see Fela! it if you can, or check out this video for a sample of his magic.