Nigerian music act, Ajoge Job Okatewun aka Hypa Cee has said that Fela’s revolutionary kind of music is needed in the country today to drive political development and economic growth.
Hypa Cee maintains that music constitutes one of the tools of political mobilisation globally. He said the role of music as a tool of political protest has been relatively under-utilized in Nigeria after the exit of the legendary Fela Anikulapo Kuti; a music maestro whose musicography still transverse the breadth and length of the universe many years after his demise.
“Fela’s progressive radicalization was hugely because of the ugly evolution of civil society into chaos, corruption and crazy politics. Fela used his Afro beat as a medium of political protest in contemporary Africa.”
Hypa Cee recalls that Fela’s impact on government was as ‘edutainmental’ as it is contemporaneously significant for today.
“His music challenged as well as confronted the status quo, speaking truth to power. He was impactful in the areas of political protest, mobilisation, radicalisation of the polity, and policy formulation. Fela’s music career evolved through three definitive but overlapping thematic categorizations or phases, the Liberal, the Reformist, and the Revolutionary.
“The structural background factors such as family-acquired traits, education, and cultural environment; accelerating conditions like exposure to the writings and music of pan-African authors and artists; and triggering circumstances such as corruption, oppression, intolerance, and brutality from the national government and its security agencies, led Fela into deep introspection as well as made his music more relevant today.”
Hypa Cee called on fellow artistes to begin to emulate the work and art of Fela if they really desire impactful changes in Nigeria and Africa’s government.
“For example the free fall of Naira is indicative of a failed economic model. Hypa Cee argued that the musicians can create tunes that can correct, mock, inspire, educate and motivate the government to do better.”
He stated that Nigeria is backward because of its people. “It is the people that make their leaders and not the other way. Despite its rich natural resources, Nigeria is one of the poorest regions of the world. In terms of economic wealth and human capital, Nigeria has persistently lagged behind other countries, a victim first of colonial exploitation from abroad and later of corruption and mismanagement from within.
Hypa Cee says that we can not continue to produce music that is nonchalant or delusional. We can’t continue to ignore the plight of the audience we try hard to entertain.
“Ask your self and let me ask myself. What have you done to contribute to Nigeria’s success. Nigeria has the best land, rivers, landscape, biodiversity, climate but contains people that don’t contribute their quota to its success.The Chinese are where they are today because of the mentality of her people. Malaysia too. So is Singapore, South Africa, India, Mexico and Italy”, Hypa Cee explained.
“Music creates a sense of emotional connection. African American spirituals, gospel, and folk music all played an important role in the Civil Rights Movement. Singers and musicians collaborated with ethnomusicologists and song collectors to disseminate songs to activists, both at large meetings and through publications. Hypa Cee believes that one of the best instrument of change is music.
“These are some of the titles used for the Civil Rights movement : Sam Cooke, ‘A Change is Gonna Come’ (1964); The Impressions, ‘People Get Ready’; James Brown, ‘Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud’ (1968); Billie Holiday, ‘Strange Fruit’ (1939). Hypa Cee asked, “what are the songs in Nigeria that inspire positive political change?”
“Many people, when asked to name a song that encapsulates the civil-rights movement, will pick “We Shall Overcome.” It was, indeed, the movement’s theme song, sung by countless people all over the world.
“I am of the view that musicians in Nigeria today should inspire patriotism, love for the motherland by singing tunes that bring everyone together. Music is an important component of social movements. It helps establish and maintain collective identity, leads to vitalizing emotions, takes advantage of free space afforded by political opportunities, and helps establish and maintain social movement culture.
“Music can bring justice, equal rights, women liberation, political change and development if properly utilized. Remembering the legacy of Fela Kuti, the Afrobeat pioneer and political firebrand surely inspires one to see music as a vehicle of societal transformation and advancement,” he said.
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