The last Felabration in 2018 at about this same time last year met me unprepared. It was fun making last minute plans and shuttling through the Lagos traffic to the mainland to watch a performance by Femi Kuti and his band.
I got to Ikeja, rented a room in a small 2 star hotel and proceeded to walk staright to the Afrikan Shrine in the heart of the Ikeja CBD.
I got to the street where the popular shrine was located and hehold it had been turned into a fair with sellers on both side of the road. Cars drove slowly albeit because of the leg traffic on both sides and traders hawking their goods. Everything was for sale.
From akara and bread to meat kebabs on a stick. All garnished with pepper, tomatoes, cabbage, onion and the Northern spice.
I walked past these vendors who called out to me asking me to come buy. I smiled and wave at them.
There was gaity all around. Everyone seemed happy and chatted away with each other. Not too faraway you could hear the sound from Femi Kuti’s band.
I got to the box office of the shrine, paid my N500 and squeezed N200 into the hand of some guy who had employed himself as my guide from the beginning of the street.
‘Wag bayi baba’ he shouted as he walked away jubilantly.
I stepped into the shrine and met a beehive of activities. Inside the shrine you could still see vendors selling work of art and Fela inscribed Tee shirts and Ankara.
Up front a stream of young boys and girls were gathered around a pool table.
A couple of caucasians were gathered around a lady selling palm wine.
You couldn’t also help but sense the sweet smelling fragrance of ganja.
I meandered my way through to the front and sat down.
A pocket of vendors swamped around me, offering everything from ganja, roasted fish to palm wine to Henineken beer.
I ordered a bottle of beer and fried meat and sat down to enjoy myself. An European couple was seated by myself. They introduced themselves and said they had come all the way from Scotland to watch Femi Kuti perform. It was their 3rd year marriage anniversary. The man pointed to me that his grandfather was part of the band Femi’s father, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti formed back when he was a student in England.
I appreciated the diversity.
I find anything devoid of diversity Dey and uninteresting. Like food without salt.
Twenty minutes later Femi came on stage, dressed with a T shirt and an Ankara pants.
The crowd yelled when he came on stage, his legendary saxophone hung around his neck.
His son by his side. Talk about passing the torch!
I was pretty much excited at this point. The bottle of Heineken beer blocking off all inhibitions I must have felt.
Femi kicked off with my favorite of all his songs ‘beng beng’.
He followed with all his favorite tunes with his fans singing, chanting and dancing along.
I couldn’t help but join in the dance as the tempo went up and up.
Once in a while, he’d pause and allow the activism in him to take over, berating the corrupt Nigerian government and their lackluster attempt to eradicate poverty and suffering.
At this point, the front of the stage was full as the audience surge forward to get a clearer view and space to dance.
I watched in awe at the son of the late Afrobeat King. Somewhere Fela would be looking down; proud of his son and how well he had kept the struggle and the melody flying.
The sound of arararara….Ororororororo filled the air.
I swayed right and left, suddenly realizing that this was one of the best night of my life as a young man in Africa’s greatest city, Lagos.
The performance ended as fast as it started.
The couple from Scotland offered me a ride in their chauffeured Mercedes Benz to my hotel.
I look back now and put in retrospect what the Anikulapo-Kuti family have gone through. Their matriarch who is Femi’s grandmother was the first woman to drive a car in Nigeria. She was later killed by the military government after she pushed down from a story building.
Her son carried her body in a coffin and went to dump it at the front of the Dodan barracks.
Being a member of the family is a job in itself. There is a price to pay for the name and the fame they currently enjoy.
