By TOFARATI IGE

On getting to the new Afrikan Shrine situated at Agidingbi, Ikeja, some smell hits you. Smoke from weeds, cigarettes and the smell of alcohol mix freely with the oxygen in the atmosphere. As if to re-assure the fainthearted, the presence of a police van and gun-wielding cops instills a measure of confidence. It is time for the weekly Sunday jump and this reporter is on hand to witness Fela’s son, Femi Anikulapo-Kuti’s first performance since his return from the International Jazz Day which took place in France.

Fela on stage

With a strict abhorrence for African timing, the show kicks off shortly after the advertised time of 7pm with the band playing some of Fela’s old tunes such as ‘Shakara Oloje’ while the scantily-clad dancers move vigorously and sensuously to the heady rhythm emanating from the drums, keyboard and other music instruments. Performance from the band is just to warm up the guests for Femi’s performance which was to follow.

Various inscriptions such as ‘Beware, Aids is Real: Protect Yourself,’ ‘United We Stand, Divided We Fall: Africa Must Unite’ adorn the walls. To further emphasize the fact that the shrine is a republic of its own, illicit drugs are not allowed inside even though they are freely consumed just outside the premises. In case anyone is not aware, ‘Drugs are not allowed in the Shrine’ is boldly written before the entrance.

Continuing in line of the Abami Eda’s political activism, an enlarged picture of Punch Newspaper’s Sunday, April 8, 2012 edition indicting former President Olusegun Obasanjo over the third term saga, hangs on the wall. It reads, ‘Obasanjo a joker, liar, he was behind third term- Nnamani, others.’ Pictures of great African leaders such as Thomas Sankara, Nelson Mandela among others also add colour to the Shrine.

The atmosphere turns electric by the time Femi, the scion of Fela steps on stage with his 14-man band. Even though the hall is half-full by this time, guests continue to trickle in and after a while it turns a full house of men and women. Reminiscent of the good old days of Fela, the dancers are in synch with the sounds entertaining with their styles.

Before his show on stage Femi says, ‘I believe that someday, Africa will be free. If you’re familiar with how we operate at the New Afrikan Shrine, you’ll know that we do not talk too much. Just three hours of good music.’ Critics argue that Femi isn’t very energetic on stage, that he is a subdued version of his father. But today, it’s apparent that he is in total control of his stage.

He touches on contemporary issues in his songs just like Fela did: The missing billions of dollars, workers’ strike, epileptic electricity, privatization, religion all find expression in his lyrics. He performs songs such as ‘Africa must Unite,’ ‘Stop Aids,’ ‘E get as e Be.’

In one of his songs, he sermonizes, ‘Ritual Killings/kidnapping on the rise’, ‘children used for sacrifice’, ‘evil spirit don take over their minds’, ‘evil people will do anything to survive’, ‘evil people dey everywhere’, ‘they have their agents near you, you better beware/planting seeds of fear/evil people, their agenda is very clear/power and money at any cost/anything good on their way, they always destroy/evil people can never know true joy

Interestingly, the hall is full of youths who would have been wearing diapers during Fela’s epoch. An indisputable tourist attraction, Asians and Caucasians are also spotted enjoying the music deeply. Yeni Kuti, who is the manager of the shrine, moves around to make sure that business flows smoothly. At a point, Femi stops the musical performance and begins to speak about the state of the nation.

“ I just came back from Paris. It was very hard work, but I also met with my idols like Herbie Hancock who I used to listen to when I was small. I didn’t know they listen to my songs and that they like me too. I’m proud to represent Africa. A journalist asked me if I wasn’t afraid to play with people of such caliber; I replied that I didn’t go to school, so I don’t know the meaning of being afraid.

From Agidingbi, Ikeja, I can take my music to the centre of the world today. When I got back to Lagos, the first thing they told me was that there was no petrol. As if that was not enough, they told me my generator had also developed a fault. The problems are just coming in, and I said I understand: welcome to hell! This is hell; on the other hand, welcome to change.’

He welcomes the people and briefly speaks about his place: ‘This is the shrine where we don’t compromise our integrity.’ Also commenting on the legendary Mayweather versus Pacquiao fight, he says, ‘Racism still thrives in America, so I’m happy for Mayweather, because a black man is making so much money.’ He also reveals that his late father, Fela did not initially believe in him, and used to think he didn’t write his songs himself.

Fela on stage

In his words, ‘There was a day I was performing, and Fela sat by the side of the stage. All of a sudden, he told me to stop, and asked me who composed the song I was singing; when I replied that I was the one, he asked me to report to his house everyday for one month so he could assess me. Many thought it was my father that wrote my songs, but I wrote ‘Bang Bang Bang’ after his death, and it became not just a local, but international hit.

Even the Nigerian press tried to kill my career before I began making it in France. Now, I have four Grammy nominations. If you think I’m successful because my name is Anikulapo, then change your name and see if you’ll make it.’ Commenting on Femi’s performance and juxtaposing it with his late father’s style, pianist and one of Fela’s band boys, Duro Ikujenyo says, ‘Well, Fela died about 18 years ago and there have been many changes even in the country.

Now, we have so-called democracy, and in a way, the people can choose their leaders themselves. It is completely different from when Fela was here and there was complete anarchy. They beat and arrested us every time. I think Femi’s songs are enough to tell you that things have not really changed in this country. The structure is still the capitalist one that the white man put in place for us to mess up ourselves.

But Femi has also changed the face of the shrine by having such a big structure in place, and you can also see the number of dancers and instrumentalists he has on stage. Femi is consistent and hardworking, and he has been able to carry Afrobeat to the international level. He is completely in control of what he is doing, and he is taking it to another level. If Fela was alive, I don’t think he would be doing anything better than what Femi is doing now.’

Also speaking, a Purto-Rican, Xavier Relo stated that he really enjoys Femi’s performance at the shrine. According to him, ‘I’ve been travelling for a long time and I’ve spent about a year in Nigeria. I’ve been to other countries like the United Kingdom, Spain, Morocco, Senegal, Mali, among others. I got my letter of invitation from Seun Kuti. I feel really blessed to be here and I feel like I’ve been blessed with the consciousness of a higher existence. What attracts me to Afrobeat is the energy in the music. Great feeling”.