Musique au poing (1982) - full transcript
FELA KUTIis to African music what Bob Marley is to reggae: its prophet. All contemporary forms of black music, from funk to electronic, owe something to the irresistible groove of the Afrobeat sound that he created. Shot in Lagos at the peak of his career in 1982, this documentary contains interviews with Fela detailing his thoughts on politics, Pan-Africanism, music and religion, alongside unpublished versions of songs like ITT, Army Arrangement and Power Show.
We are kings! We are the kings of African music, the kings!
Because music is the king of all professions!
MUSIC IS THE WEAPON
BLACK PRESIDENT FELA ANIKULAPO KUTI
In 1985, tomorrow, next month...
I will be president of this country...
I will be president of this country, I know it!
Once again the history of the elections
Obasanjo planned them very well
Once again the history of the elections
Obasanjo planned them very well
He took the old politicians
Who ran Nigeria before
The same old politicians
Who have already ruined Nigeria
Obasanjo takes them all
All of them are now
It's not over, it's not over....
Young Africans have two ears and two eyes
They see the things that happen
and listen too
Few are fat with a lot of money
And the rest go hungry
I, Fela, challenge Obasanjo
The cheats he always does
Take me to court and I'll show him the laws
We have a government made of bastards
Help me sing!
The government is elected by gun
Help me tell this!
We have a government of friends of friends
Help me to report!
Money! Broken!
Arrangement! Trickery!
Broken! Arrangement!
Money! Trickery!
Add it all up! give me the answer!
Who is Fela?
Some say he is the greatest musician in Africa
Others say he is a prophet
Others still say he's a rebel
A revolutionary tribune!
His name was Fela Ransome-Kuti
the name of a slave
Since 1977 calls himself Fela Anikulapo Kuti
The name of a king!
To support your candidacy in the 1983 presidential election
he created his own party: the MOP
The Movement of the People!
Youth are not interested in elections
I think that changes if the MOP participates
The government should register the MOP soon
Because if they don't this time there could be trouble
But knowing this government, they will not register me
They have no intention of registering me
They are trying to create a two-party government
where you cannot register other parties
Want them to be like a law
Prohibiting the existence of more than two parties in the country
People's minds have gone low
There is no food, no water, no light...
no government
people are edgy
There is no solid situation
The roots are lost...
Every day our senators come and go from the US
And nothing happens in my country...
And the newspapers exclaim: "Armed robbers, Thieves!"
The public think they have to take care of themselves
So any suspect is lynched, killed...
This is wrong! It's not African at all!
Africans don't behave like that
This is the kind of criminal behavior, criminal environment
that the government installed in the country
People are not in a stable mindset
But I see a future...
I see a future in my political party
Pan-Africanism is on everyone's mind now
Subconsciously everyone knows they have to be African now
Fela was born in 1938 in Nigeria
His father was a Protestant minister and school principal.
A strict and strict man in the British style
His mother was "the great lady" of Nigerian independence
A militant attracted to the communist cause
She even got to know Mao Tse Tung
The Ransome-Kuti were not inhibited by the English settlers.
They were also indifferent to the preservation of ancient African traditions
They gave a typical western education to young Fela
In the early 60's Fela went to study in London
His love then was music not politics
In his generation, the African consciousness would undergo a singular deviation
Influenced by the North American Black Movement
The entire black world shared Martin Luther King's dream
A few months later, President Kennedy would be assassinated.
"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up
and live out the true meaning of its creed
we hold these truths to be self-evident
that all men are created equal
I have a dream
That one day on the red hills of Georgia
The sons of former slaves
And sons of former slave-owners
Will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood
I have a dream"
In 1969, Fela travels to the USA
Where would I stay for 10 months
The Black Power movement was at its height
After the Disappointment with the Civil Rights Movement
The Watts Uprising and the assassination of Martin Luther King
In Los Angeles Fela reads the autobiography of Malcolm X
over and over again
he wants to become a hero a black hero
He writes his first protest songs
Across the ocean, 3800 miles from home
Fela discovers Africa
When Fela returns to Nigeria
The Biafra war is raging, it will go on for two and a half years.
leaving a million dead among the ruins
As far as wars are concerned, this one is especially absurd.
The division of Africa between colonialist powers
ignored ethnic boundaries
And the rebels of Biafra try to secede
but are mercilessly subjugated by federal forces
"Not me mate"
Fela's mistrust of new African governments
especially that of Nigeria is born from this war
It is a mistrust that will soon grown into to open war
There are many dangerous people in Africa
The Nigerian President is Dangerous
Shagari is dangerous
as a person he is weak...
but what surrounds him, his administration is dangerous
He himself is not dynamic enough to be dangerous
but the structure around it is dangerous
they say he is a great man
but underneath, He's ruining the whole continent
So he is dangerous
He has nothing to offer, makes no meaningful statements
in Nigeria there is a committee on apartheid
They held a meeting on Apartheid in Namibia
Nigeria is involved in everything
But this country is against another country (BIAFRA)!
How can Nigeria be talking about South Africa?
South Africa is better than Nigeria
I know so!
Look, we're saying white people are mistreating black people in South Africa
Okay, that's bad, that's racism, but that's their logic
Now black people are mistreating black people in Nigeria! What logic?
That's worse! The police beat people in the streets like they were dogs!
in South Africa they do this, but they know they face public criticism
So take care when doing
But in Nigeria... They say that Nigeria is against apartheid
In the USA they talk about Nigeria as if it were the biggest African country
But Nigeria is the worst African country! Where the worst things are happening!
Lagos, capital of Nigeria
The country is the white elephant of Africa
One hundred million inhabitants, meaning that one in four Africans
Is a Nigerian
It's the sixth largest oil producer in the world
but these billions of dollars must first pass through the pockets
of a handful of chiefs and ex-generals
You can get a hi-fi set and cellophane-wrapped bread anywhere in Lagos
And you can also drive through miles and miles of suburbs
That have no water, electricity nor sewers
Huge secret arms trade has been going on since the Biafra war
The number of armed robberies became so high that the government
Decided to hold public executions
Thieves were executed monthly, on Sundays, on the most popular beach in Lagos.
everybody run run run
everybody scatters
some people lost some bread
Someone nearly dies
Someone just died
The police are coming, the army is coming!
confusion everywhere
several minutes later
Everything has calmed down, brother
The police are going
The army is going
Leave sorrow, tears and blood
[chorus] Them regular trademark
Leave sorrow, tears and blood
[chorus] Them regular trademark
We fear to fight for freedom
We fear to fight for liberty
We fear to fight for justice
We fear to fight for happiness
We always get a reason to fear
We don't want to die, we don't want to get hurt
We don't want to be extinct
I have a son my mother is at home
My kids are home I'm going to build a house
I built my house we don't want to be extinct
I want to enjoy life I don't want to go
Then a cop will slap you in the face You won't say anything
The Rhodesia n�o evening is not ai
The words of our leaders are worthless
In South Africa, they take care of their affairs
Leave sorrow, tears and blood
[chorus] Them regular trademark!
Them regular trademark
[chorus] Them regular trademark!
Them regular trademark
[chorus] Them regular trademark!
Them regular trademark
[chorus] Them regular trademark!
That's why...
everyone run
everyone scatters
someone lost money
a person almost died
The police are coming The army is coming
confused all over
the time comes
Time waits for no one
The police are coming, The army is coming!
Com confus�o
With style
KEEP LAGOS CLEAN!
This famous Victoria Beach
Where so many thieves were executed
Since the return to civilian government three years ago
Executions have stopped
But the waves keep throwing bodies on the sand
Lagos, the most dangerous city in the world...
In broad daylight, a gang of thugs may appear out of nowhere
Holding a stick full of nails, or a broken bottle
And burst your tires, rip open your suitcase or gouge out your eyes
It's 10 pm in Ikeja, a suburb 18 miles from downtown
Close to the international airport
This is one of the most dangerous places in town
Every night, around midnight, Fela arrives at THE SHRINE ("The Sanctuary")
In his little bus, with his singers and dancers
The Shrine is Fela's nightclub
But it is also a real shrine, as you will soon realize
The musicians have been playing for hours, the audience is already wound up
People come from all over the country
There are workers as well as students
Cops, thieves, the unemployed...
And even unknown government ministers
And no one can say whether they came to listen to the prophet's inflammatory speeches
Or to rock to his special Afro-Beat!
Everywhere you go, everywhere you are
Everyone wants to make a show of power!
[chorus] Power show
When you arrive at the border an immigration officer
will get you
Will waste your time
He's going to change his pants
Some comb their hair
Then they set the table
So they pull out the chairs
Before realizing your presence
If you don't speak quickly
he goes out to shit
When does he come back
And you talk to him
You are then surprised when he scolds you
And says you won't cross
You will not cross today
This is the time when they start
Your Power show
at seven in the morning, the day breaks and the music stops
Barely looking tired, Fela and his women leave the Shrine
"Move that helicopter man!"
They arrive in Kalakuta
The big communal house where they live
a few blocks away
For the last ten years, Fela has never left this working-class neighborhood
Even when he had money or power
Here he is loved and respected, like a new African chief
The Republic of Kalakuta
A part of Fela, his lieutenants and his women
Next door, the smaller houses of the bodyguards, helpers, and everyone else
One hundred people live here permanently
This is Fela's republic, or rather his kingdom...
When he travels abroad, he charters an entire Boeing to transport
Close friends, his orchestra and his 15 wives
It is very important for a man to marry many women
Men naturally go after many women.
In Europe, a married man goes out to have sex when his wife goes to bed.
He should bring the women to live in his house, not go out on the street!
That's what a man should do!
A man should not go out on the street chasing women
In 1977, Fela married his 27 dancers and singers at once.
According to the Yoruba ritual
Now they are called The Queens ("The Queens")
In the African tradition, you learn not to feel jealous
You Africans, listen to me as Africans
And you non-Africans, listen to me with an open mind
Suffer, suffer in this world - AMEN! Enjoy in heaven - AMEN!
Cristos dizem - AMN! 'In the spirit of hevinus' - AMN!
Muslims proclaim - AMEN! 'Alahu akubar' - AMEN!
Suffer, suffer in this world - AMEN! Enjoy in heaven - AMEN!
Cristos dizem - AMEN! 'In the spirit of hevinus' - AMN!
Muslims proclaim - AMEN! 'Alahu akubar' - AMEN!
Open your eyes, all around
The Archbishop lives in abundance
The Pope is enjoying life
The Iman is having fun too
The Archbishop is enjoying himself!
The Pope himself is enjoying
The Iman himself is enjoying it!
Christianity and Islam are just artificial religions
We know why Christianity and Islam spread across Africa
It was to exploit the people
All Christians think like white Europeans, English and Americans
All Muslims Think Like Arabs
They are turning African minds away from their roots and nothing more
Africans need to know this!
They need to know what is original Someone has to spread that knowledge
And I think I have this knowledge
This is a world of higher forces
People have to realize this
This is done alone, in your home, with knowledge of your culture and past
Of your family and your people
Being a Christian or a Muslim has nothing to do with
When Fela began to preach a return to traditional religion
It was in search of a deeper African identity
It was a cultural provocation, an intellectual move
But in the spring of 1981, the spirits really visited Fela's house!
Since that revelation, a dialogue with the other world has taken place every day.
At the Shrine, around 2 am, in the middle of the show
Fela suddenly asks for silence and performs a rite on behalf of the main Yoruba spirits.
Yoruba spirits: Shango, Ogun and Ifa
They are the same great spirits found in America
In Voodoo and in Afro-Cuban and Brazilian cults
On the altar are also portraits of Malcolm X, of Nkrumah - The hero of African independence
And also that of Fela's own mother
That since her death has became the 'Spirit of rain'
BLACKNESS: A Force of the Mind
Music is something spiritual, you can't play with music!
If you play with music you will die young
When the higher forces give us the gift of music, it must be used!
for the sake of humanity
If you use it for your own gain or to deceive people
You'll die young man I've told people that many times
I will prove them wrong and that I am right because I am now 44 years old.
And I'm getting younger 'cause I'm doing the right thing
I can play for 10 hours straight I never get tired, I'm getting younger!
The spiritual life of the music I got right is helping me now
Whether you like it or not
After you hear these true words
Whether you like it or not
After you hear these true words
If you like it will be good
If you don't like it you go to the gallows
If you like it will be good
If you don't like it you go to the gallows
If you go to the gallows you will die
I will die for nothing
They will take your body to the police station
You die wrong
In the African community there are special women They are called YALAGI
It means "women who have special power to see"
To see the future, to see ahead and behind
These are the special women important people always have them around at home
I have my yalagi in my house, they advise me what to do
At this point, some of Fela's wives left
only 15 stayed
These women show remarkable courage
Because life is not easy in the Republic of Kalakuta
Fela may be one of the biggest musical stars in all of Africa
But he continues to survive in an entrenched field
A real rebel zone
And the powerful don't like it
On Friday, February 18, 1977 at noon
A thousand armed soldiers surrounded Kalakuta ready to fire
The siege lasted 15 hours There were mortar fire
A generator exploded, the house caught fire...
The rebels are forced to surrender
Fela and his mother are thrown from a window Soldiers behave with animals
They rape women after committing all kinds of abuse against them
Beat everyone with clubs
Fela and his tribe go to prison
They stayed behind bars for a month until they were expelled from Nigeria
Take refuge in Accra, capital of Ghana
There is no one in all African politics
Who deserves to be followed besides two people
Nkrumah and my mother! That's what I'm talking about!
All that bullshit you hear around
This government threw my mother out the window!
Mrs. Funmilayo Anikulapo-Kuti, who gave blood for this country in the streets
So they do it
burned many houses
They burned my house too
they killed my mother
So I took the coffin
I walk, I walk, I walk
We went to Obalende
We went to the Dodan barracks
We arrived at the gate
We put the coffin on the floor
Obasanjo was there
We put the coffin on the floor
They don't want to take it [chorus] But they end up taking it
Who will want to take the coffin? [chorus] But they end up taking
They have to take it! [chorus] But they end up taking
For the bad, bad, bad things
But hostility between Fela and Nigerian authorities never ceases
In the autumn of 1981, after his third European tour
An intense press campaign is launched against him
This time, Fela is accused of committing an armed robbery.
A crime punishable by the death penalty
In December 1981, the army attacks Kalakuta again
The film crew was present on the day
There was no time to film, just to take pictures
In the blink of an eye The army surrounds the house
Soldiers run inside - men capable of anything
Tear gas pumps make breathing impossible, site must be evacuated
The soldiers enter with all
They loot the house, their clubs don't spare either pregnant women or children
Fela is severely beaten, his "Queens" are whipped with chains
The whole tribe is dragged away
Once again, Fela finds himself in prison
The police arrived with 5 cars, vans and large trucks
They started surrounding the house, beat everyone, threw tear gas
They made us leave, they beat us! They beat up Fela!
They stole all our money! Took our goods, our things!
We don't know what happened! What was the crime Fela committed?!
Why did they arrive, beat up and do this?!
They jumped out of the trucks, did this and left...
What did we do?!
they beat me! They threw my personal belongings on the bus! What did I do?!
I'm 7 months pregnant! What did I do to these people?!
I didn't do anything wrong! They gave me butts in the head!
They mistreat us here in Africa, there is nothing we can do!
Fela is the only one who stands up against that which preaches about the injustices they commit!
That's why they come after him, even though they can't accuse him!
Fela is an innocent man!
Part of the Nigerian press resurrects the old accusation of aggression
And deliberately tries to portray Fela as "Public Enemy #1"
Fela represents a real threat to the establishment
He must be discredited at any price.
But the fabrication of the charges is so massive that Fela is released on bail after 10 days
The case is dismissed soon after.
Fela still thinks about running in the 1983 presidential election
Even knowing that your application will probably not be accepted
But "The Queens" remain lively
The Shrine is officially closed
SHRINE - DANGER ZONE FOR GOVERNMENT PEOPLE But Fela won't stop!
Nothing can stop you from singing or speaking your mind
What is happening in Nigerian jails
It's nothing less than Nazism - What they did in the concentration camps
In Germany in 1940...
I saw with my own eyes how they beat boys at 8 am with 24 blows
They put salt in their bodies before they beat them
This wasn't court order - it was just fun!
When these boys get there, they're waiting for the judgment
Put 50, 60 of them in a small room
And they start beating them because they are prisoners. Everything there is so bad!
I will tell you an experience
I was there in prison 15 days We had a baisin as a toilet
A guard arrives... He sees the baisin and says to bring it to him
Then they reply: 'Boss, I can't eat in this'
it wasn't me who said
I felt too much pain to be able to speak
You know, my body was just pain!
I want to assure you of one thing: If you think I'm going to change
Or make allowances for my attitude or expression
In my way of life or political objective...
They're making me stronger I'm much stronger now
I was even surprised at how quickly I recovered, considering the beating I took
Do you want to see the police beating? It's terrible, I'll show you, you have to see it!
Look! My whole back to the ass Do you see?
Bad! All over my body, man!
From top to bottom! They beat me to hell!
But I didn't die Because my name is Anikulapo!
I have death in my pocket I can't die
can't kill me
You are the thief! [chorus] I'm not a Thief!
You are the tramp! [chorus] I'm not a bum!
It was you who stole it! [Chorus] I didn't steal it!
You are the bandit! [Chorus] I'm not a bandit!
It was you who robbed at gunpoint! [chorus] It wasn't!
I'm not the thief! [chorus] You are the thief!
I'm not the tramp! [chorus] You're the tramp!
It wasn't me who stole it! [chorus] It was you!
I'm not the bandit! [chorus] You're the bad guy!
It wasn't me who robbed at gunpoint! [chorus] It was you!
Discussion about theft
Someone took something that belongs to someone else
On the street, everywhere, people walk...
Office workers, construction workers, all kinds...
I'm going
Go inside the buses
motorcycle scaffold
A huge crowd!
Within this crowd
sometimes on a corner
sometimes on a street
You hear a scream
Handle! Handle! Thief! Thief! Thief!
Handle! Handle! Tramp!
Handle! Handle! bandit!
Pega!
Segura!
Grab!
Corre atr�s!
Will start to look
I'm going to start chasing you
Will start to look
Will start watching
will grab
Give them a good beating
They lynch him very well
The police arrive very well
take him to court
Hold for 6 months
[chorus] Will leave for a year
They think it's better to arrest for 2 years - An innocent
[chorus] They're going to jail for 5 years
You're going to jail for 7 years
[chorus] They're going to jail for 10 years
They will execute you for armed robbery
Instead of workers we have officers
Instead of them taking the bus They ride in wagons
Instead of riding a motorcycle Helicopter video
Instead of going after a worker walks through them
the authorities steal
The public contributes a lot of taxes
It is the authorities who steal
Authority is not a pickpocket
What they steal is no small thing
The armed thief needs a weapon
Authority needs pen
The authority is in charge of the money
He doesn't need a gun He needs a pen
The pen gives powers that a weapon cannot.
If a weapon steals 80,000 naira
The pen will steal 2 billion naira
You won't hear them screaming: [chorus] Thief!
You won't hear them screaming: [chorus] bum!
You won't hear them screaming: [chorus] bandit!
they have another way
Their style is civilized
All of them bums!
authorities stealing
We Africans have to do something about this nonsense!
I have read about ITT (telecommunications company)
Because they are one of the largest multinationals, they are great explorers in this world
I've heard about the harm they've done to the world
I heard stories in the USA, Europe, Chile....everywhere
But I didn't really know what ITT was about until I got to know the very
MKOAbiola (President of ITT Nigeria)
It was then that I saw the kind of multinational evil they are trying to do.
I ask myself: 'What is multinational?'
Are all Nigerians unnational, Why are some multinationals?
So the question arises: 'What can I do about it?'
Some time ago Mr. MKOAbiola
Reported me to the police on August 27, 1979
Accused me of having robbed his wife
The police came to investigate the matter
And found out that at 5pm that day I was performing on TV
About 150 miles away from where this alleged robbery took place
So I went after him, I wanted the police to accuse him of giving false information
But the police and government covered up this story
That was 3 or 4 years ago
So you see how these people are
That's where the story of the 2.8 billion naira came from I gave a statement and clearly understood
The lies, criminality and theft of the nation by a specific group of people
The government!
Do you see what is happening in Nigeria?
I need to sing about these things!
I need to sing clearly so people understand
It's because of the European that we carry shit [chorus] It's been a long time
It's part of their culture to carry shit
In the time they came to colonize us
We were taught to carry shit
A long, long, long time ago
The African man didn't carry shit
It was the European who taught us
Many foreign companies Take all our money away
[chorus] Say it, say it
1981 SCOTTISH LAGOS GAMES
Newspapers write in serious English to confuse African dwarves
I read about one of the biggest companies It's called ITT
Cause confusion
Cause corruption
Case inflation
Cause confusion
Cause oppression
Case inflation
Confusion, opression, inflation, opression!
that's how they do it
choose an african
A man of little intelligence
Give him a million naira
To become a worthless boss
They bribe him for a million naira
To become a worthless boss
Like rats they go and do things
From corner to corner, passing and passing
passing under
passing inside
passing by outside
What harm does the US do to Africa?
They divide people, they bring weapons, false ideas, Christianity, Jesus Christ...
They mess up people's heads, bring fertilizer, do shit...
They want to bring western civilization here
The US and England want to brainwash Africans
It's the colonialists, the slave traders
Oppression begins Start stealing money
Like Obasanjo and Abiola
INTERNATIONAL THIEF THIEF - ITT
International Thief - ITT
We will fight them very well! One day!
Let's finish them off one day!
Everyone knows that Africa has to unite now to achieve something
But how will this happen? It's a good question!
If I can lead this country, Africa will be fine...
When there is a good government in an African country
All of Africa will be liberated
With just one good, honest, progressive, clean government...
Who knows what he's doing... No diplomacy or concessions
No agreement!
No Marxism-Leninism, no capitalism...
And yes, Africanism!
Music is our weapon! Music is the future!
Music is the weapon of the future!
And something tells me I'm right!
I will be president one day, believe me!
FELA RANSOME-KUTI Died August 3, 1997 Victim of AIDS
Because music is the king of all professions!
MUSIC IS THE WEAPON
BLACK PRESIDENT FELA ANIKULAPO KUTI
In 1985, tomorrow, next month...
I will be president of this country...
I will be president of this country, I know it!
Once again the history of the elections
Obasanjo planned them very well
Once again the history of the elections
Obasanjo planned them very well
He took the old politicians
Who ran Nigeria before
The same old politicians
Who have already ruined Nigeria
Obasanjo takes them all
All of them are now
It's not over, it's not over....
Young Africans have two ears and two eyes
They see the things that happen
and listen too
Few are fat with a lot of money
And the rest go hungry
I, Fela, challenge Obasanjo
The cheats he always does
Take me to court and I'll show him the laws
We have a government made of bastards
Help me sing!
The government is elected by gun
Help me tell this!
We have a government of friends of friends
Help me to report!
Money! Broken!
Arrangement! Trickery!
Broken! Arrangement!
Money! Trickery!
Add it all up! give me the answer!
Who is Fela?
Some say he is the greatest musician in Africa
Others say he is a prophet
Others still say he's a rebel
A revolutionary tribune!
His name was Fela Ransome-Kuti
the name of a slave
Since 1977 calls himself Fela Anikulapo Kuti
The name of a king!
To support your candidacy in the 1983 presidential election
he created his own party: the MOP
The Movement of the People!
Youth are not interested in elections
I think that changes if the MOP participates
The government should register the MOP soon
Because if they don't this time there could be trouble
But knowing this government, they will not register me
They have no intention of registering me
They are trying to create a two-party government
where you cannot register other parties
Want them to be like a law
Prohibiting the existence of more than two parties in the country
People's minds have gone low
There is no food, no water, no light...
no government
people are edgy
There is no solid situation
The roots are lost...
Every day our senators come and go from the US
And nothing happens in my country...
And the newspapers exclaim: "Armed robbers, Thieves!"
The public think they have to take care of themselves
So any suspect is lynched, killed...
This is wrong! It's not African at all!
Africans don't behave like that
This is the kind of criminal behavior, criminal environment
that the government installed in the country
People are not in a stable mindset
But I see a future...
I see a future in my political party
Pan-Africanism is on everyone's mind now
Subconsciously everyone knows they have to be African now
Fela was born in 1938 in Nigeria
His father was a Protestant minister and school principal.
A strict and strict man in the British style
His mother was "the great lady" of Nigerian independence
A militant attracted to the communist cause
She even got to know Mao Tse Tung
The Ransome-Kuti were not inhibited by the English settlers.
They were also indifferent to the preservation of ancient African traditions
They gave a typical western education to young Fela
In the early 60's Fela went to study in London
His love then was music not politics
In his generation, the African consciousness would undergo a singular deviation
Influenced by the North American Black Movement
The entire black world shared Martin Luther King's dream
A few months later, President Kennedy would be assassinated.
"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up
and live out the true meaning of its creed
we hold these truths to be self-evident
that all men are created equal
I have a dream
That one day on the red hills of Georgia
The sons of former slaves
And sons of former slave-owners
Will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood
I have a dream"
In 1969, Fela travels to the USA
Where would I stay for 10 months
The Black Power movement was at its height
After the Disappointment with the Civil Rights Movement
The Watts Uprising and the assassination of Martin Luther King
In Los Angeles Fela reads the autobiography of Malcolm X
over and over again
he wants to become a hero a black hero
He writes his first protest songs
Across the ocean, 3800 miles from home
Fela discovers Africa
When Fela returns to Nigeria
The Biafra war is raging, it will go on for two and a half years.
leaving a million dead among the ruins
As far as wars are concerned, this one is especially absurd.
The division of Africa between colonialist powers
ignored ethnic boundaries
And the rebels of Biafra try to secede
but are mercilessly subjugated by federal forces
"Not me mate"
Fela's mistrust of new African governments
especially that of Nigeria is born from this war
It is a mistrust that will soon grown into to open war
There are many dangerous people in Africa
The Nigerian President is Dangerous
Shagari is dangerous
as a person he is weak...
but what surrounds him, his administration is dangerous
He himself is not dynamic enough to be dangerous
but the structure around it is dangerous
they say he is a great man
but underneath, He's ruining the whole continent
So he is dangerous
He has nothing to offer, makes no meaningful statements
in Nigeria there is a committee on apartheid
They held a meeting on Apartheid in Namibia
Nigeria is involved in everything
But this country is against another country (BIAFRA)!
How can Nigeria be talking about South Africa?
South Africa is better than Nigeria
I know so!
Look, we're saying white people are mistreating black people in South Africa
Okay, that's bad, that's racism, but that's their logic
Now black people are mistreating black people in Nigeria! What logic?
That's worse! The police beat people in the streets like they were dogs!
in South Africa they do this, but they know they face public criticism
So take care when doing
But in Nigeria... They say that Nigeria is against apartheid
In the USA they talk about Nigeria as if it were the biggest African country
But Nigeria is the worst African country! Where the worst things are happening!
Lagos, capital of Nigeria
The country is the white elephant of Africa
One hundred million inhabitants, meaning that one in four Africans
Is a Nigerian
It's the sixth largest oil producer in the world
but these billions of dollars must first pass through the pockets
of a handful of chiefs and ex-generals
You can get a hi-fi set and cellophane-wrapped bread anywhere in Lagos
And you can also drive through miles and miles of suburbs
That have no water, electricity nor sewers
Huge secret arms trade has been going on since the Biafra war
The number of armed robberies became so high that the government
Decided to hold public executions
Thieves were executed monthly, on Sundays, on the most popular beach in Lagos.
everybody run run run
everybody scatters
some people lost some bread
Someone nearly dies
Someone just died
The police are coming, the army is coming!
confusion everywhere
several minutes later
Everything has calmed down, brother
The police are going
The army is going
Leave sorrow, tears and blood
[chorus] Them regular trademark
Leave sorrow, tears and blood
[chorus] Them regular trademark
We fear to fight for freedom
We fear to fight for liberty
We fear to fight for justice
We fear to fight for happiness
We always get a reason to fear
We don't want to die, we don't want to get hurt
We don't want to be extinct
I have a son my mother is at home
My kids are home I'm going to build a house
I built my house we don't want to be extinct
I want to enjoy life I don't want to go
Then a cop will slap you in the face You won't say anything
The Rhodesia n�o evening is not ai
The words of our leaders are worthless
In South Africa, they take care of their affairs
Leave sorrow, tears and blood
[chorus] Them regular trademark!
Them regular trademark
[chorus] Them regular trademark!
Them regular trademark
[chorus] Them regular trademark!
Them regular trademark
[chorus] Them regular trademark!
That's why...
everyone run
everyone scatters
someone lost money
a person almost died
The police are coming The army is coming
confused all over
the time comes
Time waits for no one
The police are coming, The army is coming!
Com confus�o
With style
KEEP LAGOS CLEAN!
This famous Victoria Beach
Where so many thieves were executed
Since the return to civilian government three years ago
Executions have stopped
But the waves keep throwing bodies on the sand
Lagos, the most dangerous city in the world...
In broad daylight, a gang of thugs may appear out of nowhere
Holding a stick full of nails, or a broken bottle
And burst your tires, rip open your suitcase or gouge out your eyes
It's 10 pm in Ikeja, a suburb 18 miles from downtown
Close to the international airport
This is one of the most dangerous places in town
Every night, around midnight, Fela arrives at THE SHRINE ("The Sanctuary")
In his little bus, with his singers and dancers
The Shrine is Fela's nightclub
But it is also a real shrine, as you will soon realize
The musicians have been playing for hours, the audience is already wound up
People come from all over the country
There are workers as well as students
Cops, thieves, the unemployed...
And even unknown government ministers
And no one can say whether they came to listen to the prophet's inflammatory speeches
Or to rock to his special Afro-Beat!
Everywhere you go, everywhere you are
Everyone wants to make a show of power!
[chorus] Power show
When you arrive at the border an immigration officer
will get you
Will waste your time
He's going to change his pants
Some comb their hair
Then they set the table
So they pull out the chairs
Before realizing your presence
If you don't speak quickly
he goes out to shit
When does he come back
And you talk to him
You are then surprised when he scolds you
And says you won't cross
You will not cross today
This is the time when they start
Your Power show
at seven in the morning, the day breaks and the music stops
Barely looking tired, Fela and his women leave the Shrine
"Move that helicopter man!"
They arrive in Kalakuta
The big communal house where they live
a few blocks away
For the last ten years, Fela has never left this working-class neighborhood
Even when he had money or power
Here he is loved and respected, like a new African chief
The Republic of Kalakuta
A part of Fela, his lieutenants and his women
Next door, the smaller houses of the bodyguards, helpers, and everyone else
One hundred people live here permanently
This is Fela's republic, or rather his kingdom...
When he travels abroad, he charters an entire Boeing to transport
Close friends, his orchestra and his 15 wives
It is very important for a man to marry many women
Men naturally go after many women.
In Europe, a married man goes out to have sex when his wife goes to bed.
He should bring the women to live in his house, not go out on the street!
That's what a man should do!
A man should not go out on the street chasing women
In 1977, Fela married his 27 dancers and singers at once.
According to the Yoruba ritual
Now they are called The Queens ("The Queens")
In the African tradition, you learn not to feel jealous
You Africans, listen to me as Africans
And you non-Africans, listen to me with an open mind
Suffer, suffer in this world - AMEN! Enjoy in heaven - AMEN!
Cristos dizem - AMN! 'In the spirit of hevinus' - AMN!
Muslims proclaim - AMEN! 'Alahu akubar' - AMEN!
Suffer, suffer in this world - AMEN! Enjoy in heaven - AMEN!
Cristos dizem - AMEN! 'In the spirit of hevinus' - AMN!
Muslims proclaim - AMEN! 'Alahu akubar' - AMEN!
Open your eyes, all around
The Archbishop lives in abundance
The Pope is enjoying life
The Iman is having fun too
The Archbishop is enjoying himself!
The Pope himself is enjoying
The Iman himself is enjoying it!
Christianity and Islam are just artificial religions
We know why Christianity and Islam spread across Africa
It was to exploit the people
All Christians think like white Europeans, English and Americans
All Muslims Think Like Arabs
They are turning African minds away from their roots and nothing more
Africans need to know this!
They need to know what is original Someone has to spread that knowledge
And I think I have this knowledge
This is a world of higher forces
People have to realize this
This is done alone, in your home, with knowledge of your culture and past
Of your family and your people
Being a Christian or a Muslim has nothing to do with
When Fela began to preach a return to traditional religion
It was in search of a deeper African identity
It was a cultural provocation, an intellectual move
But in the spring of 1981, the spirits really visited Fela's house!
Since that revelation, a dialogue with the other world has taken place every day.
At the Shrine, around 2 am, in the middle of the show
Fela suddenly asks for silence and performs a rite on behalf of the main Yoruba spirits.
Yoruba spirits: Shango, Ogun and Ifa
They are the same great spirits found in America
In Voodoo and in Afro-Cuban and Brazilian cults
On the altar are also portraits of Malcolm X, of Nkrumah - The hero of African independence
And also that of Fela's own mother
That since her death has became the 'Spirit of rain'
BLACKNESS: A Force of the Mind
Music is something spiritual, you can't play with music!
If you play with music you will die young
When the higher forces give us the gift of music, it must be used!
for the sake of humanity
If you use it for your own gain or to deceive people
You'll die young man I've told people that many times
I will prove them wrong and that I am right because I am now 44 years old.
And I'm getting younger 'cause I'm doing the right thing
I can play for 10 hours straight I never get tired, I'm getting younger!
The spiritual life of the music I got right is helping me now
Whether you like it or not
After you hear these true words
Whether you like it or not
After you hear these true words
If you like it will be good
If you don't like it you go to the gallows
If you like it will be good
If you don't like it you go to the gallows
If you go to the gallows you will die
I will die for nothing
They will take your body to the police station
You die wrong
In the African community there are special women They are called YALAGI
It means "women who have special power to see"
To see the future, to see ahead and behind
These are the special women important people always have them around at home
I have my yalagi in my house, they advise me what to do
At this point, some of Fela's wives left
only 15 stayed
These women show remarkable courage
Because life is not easy in the Republic of Kalakuta
Fela may be one of the biggest musical stars in all of Africa
But he continues to survive in an entrenched field
A real rebel zone
And the powerful don't like it
On Friday, February 18, 1977 at noon
A thousand armed soldiers surrounded Kalakuta ready to fire
The siege lasted 15 hours There were mortar fire
A generator exploded, the house caught fire...
The rebels are forced to surrender
Fela and his mother are thrown from a window Soldiers behave with animals
They rape women after committing all kinds of abuse against them
Beat everyone with clubs
Fela and his tribe go to prison
They stayed behind bars for a month until they were expelled from Nigeria
Take refuge in Accra, capital of Ghana
There is no one in all African politics
Who deserves to be followed besides two people
Nkrumah and my mother! That's what I'm talking about!
All that bullshit you hear around
This government threw my mother out the window!
Mrs. Funmilayo Anikulapo-Kuti, who gave blood for this country in the streets
So they do it
burned many houses
They burned my house too
they killed my mother
So I took the coffin
I walk, I walk, I walk
We went to Obalende
We went to the Dodan barracks
We arrived at the gate
We put the coffin on the floor
Obasanjo was there
We put the coffin on the floor
They don't want to take it [chorus] But they end up taking it
Who will want to take the coffin? [chorus] But they end up taking
They have to take it! [chorus] But they end up taking
For the bad, bad, bad things
But hostility between Fela and Nigerian authorities never ceases
In the autumn of 1981, after his third European tour
An intense press campaign is launched against him
This time, Fela is accused of committing an armed robbery.
A crime punishable by the death penalty
In December 1981, the army attacks Kalakuta again
The film crew was present on the day
There was no time to film, just to take pictures
In the blink of an eye The army surrounds the house
Soldiers run inside - men capable of anything
Tear gas pumps make breathing impossible, site must be evacuated
The soldiers enter with all
They loot the house, their clubs don't spare either pregnant women or children
Fela is severely beaten, his "Queens" are whipped with chains
The whole tribe is dragged away
Once again, Fela finds himself in prison
The police arrived with 5 cars, vans and large trucks
They started surrounding the house, beat everyone, threw tear gas
They made us leave, they beat us! They beat up Fela!
They stole all our money! Took our goods, our things!
We don't know what happened! What was the crime Fela committed?!
Why did they arrive, beat up and do this?!
They jumped out of the trucks, did this and left...
What did we do?!
they beat me! They threw my personal belongings on the bus! What did I do?!
I'm 7 months pregnant! What did I do to these people?!
I didn't do anything wrong! They gave me butts in the head!
They mistreat us here in Africa, there is nothing we can do!
Fela is the only one who stands up against that which preaches about the injustices they commit!
That's why they come after him, even though they can't accuse him!
Fela is an innocent man!
Part of the Nigerian press resurrects the old accusation of aggression
And deliberately tries to portray Fela as "Public Enemy #1"
Fela represents a real threat to the establishment
He must be discredited at any price.
But the fabrication of the charges is so massive that Fela is released on bail after 10 days
The case is dismissed soon after.
Fela still thinks about running in the 1983 presidential election
Even knowing that your application will probably not be accepted
But "The Queens" remain lively
The Shrine is officially closed
SHRINE - DANGER ZONE FOR GOVERNMENT PEOPLE But Fela won't stop!
Nothing can stop you from singing or speaking your mind
What is happening in Nigerian jails
It's nothing less than Nazism - What they did in the concentration camps
In Germany in 1940...
I saw with my own eyes how they beat boys at 8 am with 24 blows
They put salt in their bodies before they beat them
This wasn't court order - it was just fun!
When these boys get there, they're waiting for the judgment
Put 50, 60 of them in a small room
And they start beating them because they are prisoners. Everything there is so bad!
I will tell you an experience
I was there in prison 15 days We had a baisin as a toilet
A guard arrives... He sees the baisin and says to bring it to him
Then they reply: 'Boss, I can't eat in this'
it wasn't me who said
I felt too much pain to be able to speak
You know, my body was just pain!
I want to assure you of one thing: If you think I'm going to change
Or make allowances for my attitude or expression
In my way of life or political objective...
They're making me stronger I'm much stronger now
I was even surprised at how quickly I recovered, considering the beating I took
Do you want to see the police beating? It's terrible, I'll show you, you have to see it!
Look! My whole back to the ass Do you see?
Bad! All over my body, man!
From top to bottom! They beat me to hell!
But I didn't die Because my name is Anikulapo!
I have death in my pocket I can't die
can't kill me
You are the thief! [chorus] I'm not a Thief!
You are the tramp! [chorus] I'm not a bum!
It was you who stole it! [Chorus] I didn't steal it!
You are the bandit! [Chorus] I'm not a bandit!
It was you who robbed at gunpoint! [chorus] It wasn't!
I'm not the thief! [chorus] You are the thief!
I'm not the tramp! [chorus] You're the tramp!
It wasn't me who stole it! [chorus] It was you!
I'm not the bandit! [chorus] You're the bad guy!
It wasn't me who robbed at gunpoint! [chorus] It was you!
Discussion about theft
Someone took something that belongs to someone else
On the street, everywhere, people walk...
Office workers, construction workers, all kinds...
I'm going
Go inside the buses
motorcycle scaffold
A huge crowd!
Within this crowd
sometimes on a corner
sometimes on a street
You hear a scream
Handle! Handle! Thief! Thief! Thief!
Handle! Handle! Tramp!
Handle! Handle! bandit!
Pega!
Segura!
Grab!
Corre atr�s!
Will start to look
I'm going to start chasing you
Will start to look
Will start watching
will grab
Give them a good beating
They lynch him very well
The police arrive very well
take him to court
Hold for 6 months
[chorus] Will leave for a year
They think it's better to arrest for 2 years - An innocent
[chorus] They're going to jail for 5 years
You're going to jail for 7 years
[chorus] They're going to jail for 10 years
They will execute you for armed robbery
Instead of workers we have officers
Instead of them taking the bus They ride in wagons
Instead of riding a motorcycle Helicopter video
Instead of going after a worker walks through them
the authorities steal
The public contributes a lot of taxes
It is the authorities who steal
Authority is not a pickpocket
What they steal is no small thing
The armed thief needs a weapon
Authority needs pen
The authority is in charge of the money
He doesn't need a gun He needs a pen
The pen gives powers that a weapon cannot.
If a weapon steals 80,000 naira
The pen will steal 2 billion naira
You won't hear them screaming: [chorus] Thief!
You won't hear them screaming: [chorus] bum!
You won't hear them screaming: [chorus] bandit!
they have another way
Their style is civilized
All of them bums!
authorities stealing
We Africans have to do something about this nonsense!
I have read about ITT (telecommunications company)
Because they are one of the largest multinationals, they are great explorers in this world
I've heard about the harm they've done to the world
I heard stories in the USA, Europe, Chile....everywhere
But I didn't really know what ITT was about until I got to know the very
MKOAbiola (President of ITT Nigeria)
It was then that I saw the kind of multinational evil they are trying to do.
I ask myself: 'What is multinational?'
Are all Nigerians unnational, Why are some multinationals?
So the question arises: 'What can I do about it?'
Some time ago Mr. MKOAbiola
Reported me to the police on August 27, 1979
Accused me of having robbed his wife
The police came to investigate the matter
And found out that at 5pm that day I was performing on TV
About 150 miles away from where this alleged robbery took place
So I went after him, I wanted the police to accuse him of giving false information
But the police and government covered up this story
That was 3 or 4 years ago
So you see how these people are
That's where the story of the 2.8 billion naira came from I gave a statement and clearly understood
The lies, criminality and theft of the nation by a specific group of people
The government!
Do you see what is happening in Nigeria?
I need to sing about these things!
I need to sing clearly so people understand
It's because of the European that we carry shit [chorus] It's been a long time
It's part of their culture to carry shit
In the time they came to colonize us
We were taught to carry shit
A long, long, long time ago
The African man didn't carry shit
It was the European who taught us
Many foreign companies Take all our money away
[chorus] Say it, say it
1981 SCOTTISH LAGOS GAMES
Newspapers write in serious English to confuse African dwarves
I read about one of the biggest companies It's called ITT
Cause confusion
Cause corruption
Case inflation
Cause confusion
Cause oppression
Case inflation
Confusion, opression, inflation, opression!
that's how they do it
choose an african
A man of little intelligence
Give him a million naira
To become a worthless boss
They bribe him for a million naira
To become a worthless boss
Like rats they go and do things
From corner to corner, passing and passing
passing under
passing inside
passing by outside
What harm does the US do to Africa?
They divide people, they bring weapons, false ideas, Christianity, Jesus Christ...
They mess up people's heads, bring fertilizer, do shit...
They want to bring western civilization here
The US and England want to brainwash Africans
It's the colonialists, the slave traders
Oppression begins Start stealing money
Like Obasanjo and Abiola
INTERNATIONAL THIEF THIEF - ITT
International Thief - ITT
We will fight them very well! One day!
Let's finish them off one day!
Everyone knows that Africa has to unite now to achieve something
But how will this happen? It's a good question!
If I can lead this country, Africa will be fine...
When there is a good government in an African country
All of Africa will be liberated
With just one good, honest, progressive, clean government...
Who knows what he's doing... No diplomacy or concessions
No agreement!
No Marxism-Leninism, no capitalism...
And yes, Africanism!
Music is our weapon! Music is the future!
Music is the weapon of the future!
And something tells me I'm right!
I will be president one day, believe me!
FELA RANSOME-KUTI Died August 3, 1997 Victim of AIDS