Politics

2019: Why Presidential Candidates Should Listen To Fela’s Music – Femi Falana

Published

6 years ago

October 15, 2018

Ahead of 2019 general election, a senior advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has revealed why presidential candidates should listen to Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s music.
Activist lawyer, Mr Femi Falana SAN, on Monday advised Nigerian presidential candidates seeking office in 2019 to listen to the late legendary musician, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s music, to get solutions to the nation’s problems.

Falana gave the advice during the 2018 Felabration tagged Fela @80: Overtaking Overtake, at the Fela debates titled: “African Leadership in the Millennium” in Lagos.

He said that the late Fela had foreseen Nigeria’s problems. Falana added that Fela warned about the challenges and proffered solutions to such problems in his music before his death.

Fela, who was born on October 15, 1938 and died on August 2, 1997, was the pioneer of the Afrobeat music genre and a human rights activist.

Falana said, “I want most of these presidential aspirants to listen to Fela’s music very well. That’s where they can find solutions to most of our problems.

“Our country is rich as Fela sang in his music, but our people are still hungry and poor; you must understand our society before you can lead us.”

Falana urged young Nigerians to get organised so that the sky would be their starting point.

He said that if Nigeria could get it right, the black man all over Africa would be happy.

NAN reports that the 2018 Felabration, which commenced on Monday, will run through the week with performances by artists from Togo, France and Nigeria, dance competitions, among others.

Felabration is an annual festival of music and arts commemorating the life and times of Nigeria’s foremost musical icon, the late Fela Anikulakpo Kuti.

The idea and concept of Felabration as an annual celebration of Fela’s music, life and times, originated from his eldest child Yeni who conceived it in 1998.

Currently, Felabration organised by the Felabration Organising Committee has grown into a week-long musical event in Nigeria, attracting thousands of visitors annually to the New Africa Shrine from all over the world.

(NAN)