For 18 months, starting from November 2009, the most top ranking and crowd pulling sensation on the American theatrical stage was Fela! On Broadway, a bio-musical play woven around the life and work of Fela Anikulapo Kuti, the Nigerian singer, songwriter, composer and socio-political activist, whose death in August 1997, was a rude shock to the music world. Everybody knew Fela Anikulapo Kuti as a musical ace, however, what many did not know was that Lagos would in less than a decade-and-a-half see a musical drama more than 80 persons with souls, spirits and bodies just as robust as Felas own spirit, soul and bodyFELA! On Broadways cast and crew, more than 80 of them in all, have landed on Nigerian soil. They have all come to Lagos to stage the hit musical from April 20 to 25 at the Expo Hall of Eko Hotel in Victoria Island.As a tribute to Felas memory and as a prelude to the main event at V.I. the concert segment of the musical was performed to an excited audience at the New Africa Shrine on Thursday, April 14.Most of the actors, actresses, singers, dancers, musicians and technicians form the core of the New York Afrobeat Community (NYAC).Since Felas 1997 departure NYAC has grown into a unique metropolitan sub-culture among whom the image of Fela developed from that of iconic cult hero to that of post humus messianic figure.The Thursday action at the shrine lived up to its billing. Antibalas, the nearly all white Afrobeat outfit based in New York was on the bandstand.They kept blasting away at Felas legendary classics including Water No Get Enemy, ITT, Ololufe Mi, Sorrows Tears and Blood, Zombie, and Everything Scatter.The story line was sketchy as a matter of necessity and expediency but the choreography was more fantastic than the news of it we had heard. However, Yeni Anikulapo Kuti who said the opening speech had hinted that yansh rolling would be witnessed in an advanced degree on that night and that was precisely what happened. She herself was dressed in red in the characteristic African design for which the Kuti musical family is noted. It is obvious that the Afrobeat step dance will take a more upbeat turn henceforth. So many fanciful additions to the original Lagos method came up at the show.Everybody is aware of the official arson and personal battery that Fela and mum suffered in 1977, however, Jim Lewis, the scriptwriter, took the drama a step further by putting the theatrical Fela into a deep and sober mood as he contemplated whether or not he should migrate from Nigeria to make a new home for himself and his family in Europe, America or Japan.Fela was a world class concert phenomenon. He could have had choice opportunities in such far-flung western entertainment capitals as Los Angeles, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Tokyo, or New York.In the play, Felas mother appeared to him in a trance to encourage him and command him not to run, not to give up the struggle, but to stay and stand in line with his own lyrics that na goat dey run, na man dey stand.And so he stood. It is interesting that, though he is not a Nigerian, Sahr Ngaujah has framed himself so snugly into his stage role as Fela that he won nominations for best actor both at the Tony Awards in the USA and at the British National Theatres Olivier Awards in England.When he was asked about these twin nominations none of which he took eventually, he said he saw himself as privileged to be in the role.He had simply being doing his best with no thought of awards. Especially for Londons Olivier Awards he said he was surprised that he was even nominated thinking he wasnt qualified.As the show closed, Ngaujah was full of praise and appreciation for the African Shrine crowd. He invited Femi Anikulapo to join them on stage and Femis horns once again blended with the music of the Antibalas.The image of Fela has become a larger than life emblem for the New York Afrobeat crowd. For the reason that he built Afrobeat and evangelistically took it all over the world, often enduring great affliction in the process, they see Fela as a modern day redemptive messiah. Therefore, coming to the shrine at Agidingbi not only to experience the underground spiritual game in raw undiluted form, but to equally take the stage and nice up the atmosphere: this was equivalent to the fulfillment of long standing dreams and the realization of deeply felt aspirations.Ngaujah, the plays lead actor, who alternates in the role of Fela with Kevin Mambo, said majority of his colleagues in this show are the children of highly committed political activists, who belonged to the African American Civil Rights Movement of the 60s.Apart from Lilias White who acts in the role of Funmilayo Anikulapo Kuti, none of the caste is older than 30. They all see themselves as socio-cultural soldiers drafted to fight and win a glorious battle for validation of purpose and identity. They are a generation of young people who grew up in homes where contemporary understanding and personal pride in Black and African culture and history was a priority.Ngaujah is persuaded that Fela! In Lagos will achieve its stated aim of galvanizing the current generation of young Africans into constructive action that will propel the continent into its season of rediscovery of former glory. He says art has inherent merit by allowing people to confront their own consciousness from ideological, social, economic and perhaps political perspectives. Moreover, Felas music in particular must be understood as superior art because it stimulates in discerning listeners a raw energy that they cant fully understand.Staging the play in Lagos as well as elsewhere around the world is a move intended to stir up the African youth to the point of creative self-discovery. They would then be able to take the bull by the horn, connecting meaning to what they are feeling and seeing. They will change and become effective bridges unto a greater future for Africa and Africans all over the world.Ngaujah gave full assurances that the performance, which holds for six consecutive days, will change Lagosians positively, dramatically and permanently.Others who have seen the play in full actually confirm that last Thursdays gig at the Shrine was only a tip of the iceberg. Ngaujah explained that both in New York and - to a lesser extent - in London, a great deal of stage propping had been done to give the show its power and appeal. Much of this technology has been done in the stage preparation at Eko Hotel but duplicating the same thing at the shrine for a single nights performance would have been excessively expensive. All in all, the shrine prelude was an appetizing overture. At Eko Hotel starting from today, the comprehensive show will be an event to behold and tell about.
Click here to read full news..
