About Fela Kuti

[Fela tribute]

Fela was a flamboyant singer and musician and his concerts - many held at his Lagos nightclub, The Shrine - were lengthy and infectious. Fela belted out his driving songs, gyrating as he performed on saxophone or keyboards, directing his thunderous 27-member band, Egypt 80. John Darnton wrote in the New York Times that one of Fela's most popular songs, 'Upside Down,' describes a traveler who finds an organized, well-planned world everywhere except in Africa, where there are villages, but no roads, land, but no food or housing. "These things are the daily lot of all Lagosians," Darnton noted. "When Fela sings this song, listeners nod their heads solemnly and look into their beers."