When Fela Anikulapo-Kuti died, a part of the Nigerian music scene and indeed, the world nursed a heartache and the death of music, the type that stirs your soul and not just your feet. Fela was not just a harbinger of hope to the average Nigerian living in the military era, he was to a large extent, human rights itself. Even if they didn’t, Nigerians would desperately read meanings to some of their lyrics and claim that Fela has returned. The reception of Nigerians brought to the fore, what their souls had ached for – social conscious music, one that resonates with their everyday travails. “The primary motivation was to trigger an awakening among the Nigerian people about the numerous political and social ills that we constantly face as a country.

Source: The Guardian August 23, 2020 15:56 UTC