Seun Kuti on his Father Fela’s Legacy, Matriarchy in His Family, What it Means to be a Pan-African Revolutionary, Racism in North Africa, and More.
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3, 2, 1…
Live from the iconic Apollo Theater in Harlem, our next storyteller hails from Lagos, Nigeria. Seun Kuti is an artist and the youngest son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti. He has spent most of his life preserving and extending his father's political and musical legacy as the leader of his father's former band, Egypt 80.
Since his father’s passing, Seun has revived The Movement of the People. M.O.P is a Nigerian left-wing pan-African political movement started by Fela and thanks to Seun’s grassroots efforts, it’s been making a come back.
We sat down at the Apollo Theater shortly before he and his band perform their show “Africa Now!”
In this episode, we talk about how Fela’s legacy has been misinterpreted and celebrated, the role of matriarchy in the Kuti family and how this was the foundation of their anti-colonial work. We dig into the pan-African revolution, the trap of being a rebel without a cause, addressing North African racism and more.
PS: Remember the artist Mumu Fresh, who scored our “REP” investigation? She has some questions for Seun, artist to artist, and so we passed those along too.
Welcome back to Podcast Noor.
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Transcripts + Listening: www.ays.media/podcastnoor/seunkuti
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🎶 Theme Music: "Thunderdome (W.T.A)" by Portugal. The Man / @portugaltheman
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Some Questions Asked in This Episode:
How did matriarchy in your family shape your worldview?
What is your personal relationship with religion and spirituality and how it has been weaponized in your life?
When in your life did you realize how radical and different your father Fela Kuti was?
Did you feel pressure in continuing your father’s legacy?
Do you remember the questions that you were asking in your head when you lost your father Fela?
How are you choosing to use music as a tool to relay the message of Pan-Africanism and the Movement of The People?
How do future generations avoid these states of oppression?
How do younger generations make work towards those connections so that they can protect the future?
How do we actually create this space to not only support the younger generations so that they have what they need and the resources they need to make those better connections to aim for that sense of unity and peace and thriving versus what we're doing to them today?
What do you believe are the impacts of Afro-Pop being elevated on a global stage?
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~ Follow Seun Kuti ~
www.instagram.com/bigbirdkuti
www.instagram.com/egypt80band
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