“Music is the weapon of the future.” Words of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, musician born in 1938 in Nigeria who became an international point of reference at the end of the 1970s. Singer, composer and human rights activist, inventor of the musical genre “Afrobeat”, The Black President, as he was also known, left his mark on both the musical and political stages. Rooted in a mix of influences, from yoruba rhythms to free jazz with elements of soul and funk, the Afrobeat of Fela was infused with the life of Western Africa with its significant use of brass instruments and percussion. With his successive bands Africa 70 and Egypt 80, Fela surrounded himself with an increasing number of musicians. producing increasingly complex symphonic works. An exhibition at the Philharmonie de Paris retraces his musical career, presenting the evolution of the artist, highlighting and sharing the origins and transformations of Afrobeat. Scandalous, at times ruthless in his position against the corruption of the elite and neo-colonialism, Fela transformed a lifestyle into a manifesto, inspired by the Pan-African movement of Malcolm X, Kwame Nkrumah and Cheikh Anta Diop, and by the anti-colonialist struggle spearheaded by his mother, the feminist activist Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. The exhibition uses archives and works never seen before, as well as testimonials which shed light on all the aspects of the activism which caused Fela to have numerous problems with the authorities and to be imprisoned repeatedly. All who had the good fortune to see Fela in concert, from the venues in Europe to his club in Lagos, agree that it was an unforgettable experience. The public was attracted to the energy of this musician and his dancers, stunned by a journey marked by hypnotic pieces of music and intense political speeches. Using large video projections, the exhibition offers the vibrant visual identity developed by the artist during concerts, from the costumes to the album covers.
