femi, seun kuti: a reunion

Nseobong Okon-Ekong and Vanessa Obioha report that a seeming common place concert in Lagos scored a historic settlement in a long-standing feud between two brothers, Femi and Seun Kuti, thus opening a new vista in the annals of Afrobeat

Imagine that Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti had no progeny. Rephrase that to read: imagine if none of his children took interest in his craft? Say, Femi Kuti turned out to be a medical doctor or Seun Kuti delved into the world of finance, what would be the fate of Afrobeat in Nigeria? Would it have died with the legend? What would have been the story of Afrobeat? Although, the enigma of Fela commends itself to all types of exploitation, yet, one can’t help but wonder if merchandise spurn from the Fela persona would still have recorded massive success. How long can the recordings of the late musician withstand the greedy hands of pirates? Would budding artistes venture into this genre of music? Will there be anyone that can successfully live up to the legacy of the Abami Eda, one of the most celebrated icons in the industry? What would have become of the Fela dynasty?

Away from the Kuti family, what if we did not have the likes of Dede Mabiaku, the renowned protege of the late Abami Eda?  A trained Thespian, Dede re-enacts the theatrics of Fela. He has mastered the craft so well that it is difficult to believe that he didn’t come from the legend’s loins. Perhaps, he would have enjoyed the Afrobeat limelight exclusively if Femi did not set out early to create his niche. Like a rebellious child, Femi charted his own path before his father’s death, creating his own form of music that is strikingly similar to that of his late father but different in the rhythmic pace.

Eager to prove a point, he formed his own band, ‘Positive Force’, distinct from his father’s Egypt ‘80 Band.
The story is slightly different with Seun, who critics have acclaimed a complete proof that the umbilical cord was never severed in his case. An appropriate appellation for him will be ‘The Living Fela”.

Watching him re-enact his father’s personality on stage can give one a feeling of deja vu. The way he walks, dances, conducts his band are very identical to his father’s. Indeed, he is a dead ringer of his old man. No doubt, there have been arguments in the public space on who personifies Fela better, Seun or Dede?

However, credence must be given to the two scions of Fela who have in their own way, promoted Afrobeat and the legacy of their father. In fact, disciples of the late Afrobeat king have been on a steady rise since his demise. From world tours to festivals, Femi and Seun continue to live up to their father’s glory, although his shoes are still too big for their sizes. Their ability to keep Fela in the limelight has in a subtle manner made them superstars. This explains why it is difficult to have another fill in their father’s shoes while they are still alive. For instance, Femi is the only Nigerian musician who fills super bowl venues in America for his concert. It is no mean feat also to be nominated four times for the Grammys.

For all their individual successes, Nigerians were yet to watch the siblings perform together on stage. As much as they had their faithful disciples and working in the same field, siblings rivalry was expected and the grapevine’s cloying rumours made this piece of news difficult to ignore. It was said that both could never perform together because of supremacy and other petty issues. It was a well-known fact that

Femi never got along with the Egypt ‘80 Band, particularly the leader of the band,  Baba Ani. Deep seated acrimony surfaced because Dede aligned with Seun and the Egypt ’80 Band. Everyone knows that there is no love lost between Dede and Femi. The rumour is still rife that if it wasn’t that Femi and his sister, Yeni, put their feet down, Dede was set to play Fela in biopic on the late musician. Seun on the other hand was lucky to have the band’s blessings. They accepted him with open arms because of the reverence they had and still have for his late father.

Despite that, the brothers were yet to quench the rumours making the rounds in Nigeria. Outside the country, they have shared the stage, maybe in a familial hug or a performance but Nigerians at home were yet to be given such privilege. The reconciliation has been in phases.

It took a while for Femi to accept the Egypt ’80 Band at his performance theatre, the New Afrikan Shrine. For a couple of years now, Seun and the Egypt ’80 Band can be seen at Femi’s Shrine last Friday of the month. Even at that, Femi refused to allow, Baba Ani, leader of the Egypt ’80 Band and a few other members of the band anywhere near his venue.

However, with the recent concert in Lagos aptly themed ‘Two Kings’, OAP/ Entertainer Entrepreneur and CEO of Perception Media , Olisa Adibua,  gave Afrobeat lovers what they have been praying for. Adibua brought the two brothers together on stage to show their supremacy and prowess. It was a rare and enthralling premium show, sponsored by Airtel. The show pooled Afrobeat denizens from every nook and cranny of the city, from different social status quo, to the Convention Centre, Eko Hotels and Suites, Lagos to witness the historic moment.

Notable faces at the event were immediate past Managing Director of United Bank for Africa (UBA), Tony Elumelu, and his successor, Philip Odozua; Chairman of Chocolate City Music, Audu Maikori;  General Manager, Marketing, Multichoice Nigeria, Martin Mabutho, Ohi Alegbe, GM, Public Affiars of the NNPC and others. Last year’s edition of ‘Two Kings’ was between Tuface Idibia and Femi Kuti.

Scheduled to kick off by 8:00pm, the show didn’t start till midnight. By then, the guests were getting restless but hardly leaving. They were stuck to their seats like stamp and letter. A few who had ants in their pants took a walk but returned to watch the show. The gathering also revealed statistically that the Afrobeat genre has more male fans than female fans.

The organisers did a poor job on the stage. There was no backdrop and lighting. Or could it be that the stage was not big enough to accommodate the musical instruments and the aesthetics as well?

Also, Olisa’s decision to host his own show may have left some seeds of doubts in the hall. Why didn’t he hire someone else to play the host so that he could take a breather from the stress or concentrate on something else? Being the second time he hosted the event, a few changes were expected irrespective of the historic performance lined up for the night.

The show kicked off with performances from Lil Kesh, Olamide,  Black Magic, Seyi Shay, Oritsefemi, and others. Jesse Jagz got Ruby Gyang, his baby mama on stage when he performed his hit song back in the day

‘Wetin Dey’ which Olisa didn’t fail to throw a jab at, saying that the last time they performed the song together on stage, a baby was born.
While waiting for the headliners of the event, Airtel seized the opportunity to reward some lucky guests with high-end mobile devices and reiterated their commitment to offer premium services to their customers.

When Seun Kuti finally mounted the stage, it was already the early hours of the next day, but the crowd was nowhere thinning. His performance was preceded by a short Afro highlife piece by Baba Ani, the leader of the Egypt ‘80 Band.
Described as the musician with fury, Seun quickly headed to the keyboard and tapped it furiously for a while before he began conducting his band. Turning to the crowd, he said “everybody say, ‘yeah, yeah’.” Expectedly, he got a sounding response.

In his signature way, he started off by playing his father’s track ‘Opposite People.’ This was followed by IMF (International Mother F**kers). The song was laced with sexual innuendoes translated in French. While performing ‘Black Woman’, Seun addressed the issue of lack of identity in the African woman. He bemoaned the fate of Nigerians who have forgotten the real heroines like Maya Angelou, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti and others. He talked about the influence of Western programmes on television on the average Nigerian woman. This social message did not end here. Before performing his last song, he shared his views on the recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

According to Seun, oppressed people always act the same way in any part of the world. He inveighed against Nigerians who throw stones at South Africans because we are guilty of the same crime, citing Boko Haram and jungle justice as examples. “Every Nigerian is behaving as if they have never seen a Nigerian kill another Nigerian before. This is not about South Africa and Nigeria. It is the handiwork of a few illiterate South Africans. And I can tell you that it is a ploy to keep two big economies in Africa apart, instead of them coming together.” His message was very much in sync with the mood of the day-an effort to bring together. He was re-uniting with his brother and did not see any reason Nigerians and South Africans can ot rise above parochial sentiments. For this particular performance, he stripped off his shirt and walked up and down the stage in that familiar Fela style.

By the time Femi Kuti waltzed on stage, the energy in the hall was electrifying. Already, people had abandoned their seats and converged near the stage during Seun’s performance. Femi’s Positive Force Band walked in first with the dancers, increasing the tempo in the hall with their fast paced beats.

Just like his brother, Femi too went directly to the keyboard and played it for a while before performing his opening song ‘Truth Don Die’. There was a delicate balance of rhythm and agility by the band, and the dancers didn’t fail to display their perfectly choreographed steps on stage.

Expectedly, he dazzled the crowd with his superb prowess on the saxophone, holding his breath beyond ten minutes. This elicited  cheers, whistles and claps from the audience. Other songs performed by the ‘Shoki master’ were ‘Dem Bobo’ and ‘Africa for Africans’. Both brothers spent an hour each on stage.

Saving the best for last, Seun joined Femi on stage. He bowed to him as a sign of respect. During his performance earlier, he had accused Olisa and Airtel of conspiracy by asking him to share a stage with his superior. The two brothers exchanged light banter on stage to the amusement of the audience. This simple act quelled the rumours that the brothers could never share the same stage. But history was made when for the first time, Baba Ani and the Egypt ‘80 Band performed with Femi Kuti and the Positive Force Band. It was a reconciliation ground for these two individuals who were known for their long-standing rivalry. The choice of Fela’s  ‘Water no Get Enemy’, for this public show of ceasefire was not only instructive and well appointed, it shoved their differences under the rug. This moment of  compromise underscored the essence of Fela’s lifetime struggle-for African unity-which he re-echoed from the late Ghanaian leader, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

For the first time, Fela’s Egypt ‘80 Band and the Femi Kuti’s Positive Force Band performed as one in legacy of the Afrobeat legend, bringing a close to a nostalgic and intriguing show.