Afrobeat icon Fela Kuti's legacy celebrated in Lagos show with photos, live music and bright underwear

LAGOS: An exhibition celebrating the life and legacy of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti has opened in Lagos in Nigeria, marking the African debut of an event first developed by the Philharmonie de Paris in France.

The Lagos show features 440 items, including personal memorabilia, photographs, paintings and videos of Fela’s performances. Visitors can also sit and enjoy live renditions of his music by Nigerian artists – and even buy replicas of his signature colourful underwear.

Lead curator Seun Ali said the Lagos exhibition expands significantly on the original French version.

“It’s three times larger. So not only are you going to experience Fela’s life, activism and his music, but we are also now adding legacy programming to what we are doing,” Ali said.

Fela, whose sound blended jazz, funk, and West African rhythms, remains a cultural icon in Nigeria.

In his music he also lashed out at political corruption and bad governance, making him a symbol of resistance against military dictatorships in the late 1970s.

Lagos to this day is a vibrant cultural hub, much like during Fela’s lifetime, and the Afrobeat sound – heard everywhere from nightclubs to roadside bars and even at political rallies – has propelled many Nigerian musicians to global fame.

Creative entrepreneur Bayo Omoboriowo said the activism of Fela, who died in 1997 at the age of 58 from AIDS-related complications, was more relevant today.

“Are there still people that can speak like Fela? Are there people that can fight like Fela? And are there people that can believe in a cause like Fela and continue to push their agenda till the world has no choice but to listen to them?”