FELA ON BROADWAY

This was one of the BEST Christmas presents I have ever received, as I lamented over not being able to go see the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. I should complain more often because last time I did my boyfriend treated me to Alvin Ailey. Anyway, should I be ashamed that this is my first time going to a Broadway show when I have lived in NY all my life? Then again i don't even think I have ever been on top of the Empire State Building, and my last three attempts to get to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island were dashed because the last ferry didn't have room for me, and then the day I manage to make it onto the ferry the tickets to enter the statue had stopped being sold, forcing me to admire Lady Liberty's ex-terior..ANYWAY..if you live in or nearby NYC or plan to visit, pleeeeeaaaase go check out this show. I consider myself to be somewhat versed in politics but I keep my political stance and knowledge to myself, but I am mainly an Idealist with a revolutionary spirit (I say spirit because deep down I wish I was brave enough to put my life and well-being on the line for a cause).Or maybe I stay away from politics because all my parents and their friends used to talk about at every gathering while i was a child was the politics of Haiti, oppression, persecution, revolution, empowerment, etc...which is spoken through Fela Kuti's narrative in which he tries to empower the oppressed citizens of Nigeria and post-colonized African nations.


Fela Kuti was sent off to Europe to study Medicine by his parents, but all along he knew that he wanted to study and make Music. He eventually created the genre of Afrobeat, which was influenced by the music he encountered in his travels. In the U.S he met an African-American women named Sandra, who introduced him to the Black Power Movement and introduced him to literature about the Black Experience in the United States, later on she became his 1st wife. He used his music as a weapon towards the oppressive Nigerian government. The one song I love is titled "EXPENSIVE SHIT" and talks about the ordeal he went through when he was arrested in his compound for illegal drug use/possession. He swallowed the evidence and was placed under arrest and watched until he excreted the evidence they needed, of course he managed to outsmart them. "I.T.T (International Thief Thief)" speaks of exploitation and how an average Nigerian man is coerced into brutalizing his own people for monetary gain and power, but the main puppeteers and beneficiaries are the International Powerhouses and oilcompanies.

Fela had a total of 12 wives whom all lived in his compound. The concert hall he performed in was called the "Shrine"...the audience is actually sitting in the Shrine and being spoken to Fela as he performs in concert...so yes, you are sitting in his audience, say circa 1977 or later. The performances are for the lack of a better word that can describe it sultry, sexy, lustful. I will refrain from going into a synopsis because that will take all day, plus I'll be revealing too many details and then there's no point in going to see it....

DISCLAIMER
If you are easily offended, close-minded, judgmental, in denial, politically and socially conservative then I will advise you to stay at home and not
GO! Or maybe you should and challenge your beliefs and what you have always been taught. If you blame the disadvantaged,judgmental towards them then I warn you to not GO! If you love being a comfortable, naive, and safe citizen infatuated with your lifestyle without any thought of human suffering then definitely do not GO...I would seriously love hate for your thoughts to be comprised and/or challenged!

Injustice is frequently discussed with controversial examples: There are references to controversial topics such as the shooting of Sean Bell, and International crooks such as AIG, Debeers, Siemens, etc...and he loves talking about marijuana and p*@@y...