December 5, 2012 H.E. John Dramani Mahama, President of The Republic of Ghana Accra, Ghana Mr. President, When we took the Fela Musical to Lagos last year, I was thrilled to learn that the Vice President of Ghana was flying specially to Lagos to see the show and represent Ghana at the performance. I saw this as a real act of African solidarity. It was made even more significant when we met and I understood the respect and affection you had for Fela, his courage, and his music. I found myself in the presence of a kind and gracious man and had the great pleasure of introducing you to the audience and heard you speak so candidly about the importance of Fela, … Continue reading →
This video comes to us by way of Adero Green: check out The Cambridge Youth Dance Program (CYDP) showing off their moves at The Cutler Majestic Theatre during our run in Boston on May 1st. On April 30, FELA! cast member Iris Wilson met with the girls of Cambridge Youth Dance Program at their dance studio in North Cambridge. She assisted with staging and counts, as the girls had already choreographed a presentation for the curtain call. The following girls participated in this presentation: Maria Kaestner, 18 Brianna Frazier, 16 Roxanne Rivard, 16 Anna Workman, 15 Chiara Bercu, 14 Alanna Logan, 12 Caroline Workman, 12 The Cambridge Youth Dance Program is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to providing the talented and artistic youth of the … Continue reading →
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cutler majestic theatre,
cydp,
dance,
emerson college,
fela,
fela kuti |
Check out this FELA! drum cover by the supremely talented drummer Chris Dave. Gotta love a man with two first names. Also, he’s on Twitter. Chris Dave x FELA from Chris “Daddy” Dave on Vimeo.
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chris dave,
drums,
fela kuti |
Boston City Hall (May 1, 2012) – Boston City Councillor Charles C. Yancey welcomed the critically acclaimed, Tony Award-winning musical FELA! to the City of Boston last Sunday. Councillor Yancey called the musical, which tells the important story of legendary Nigerian musician, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, an incredible demonstration of one man’s sacrifice to improve the political environment and human rights conditions in Nigeria. “The music, the dance, the costumes, and the extraordinary talent made FELA! one of the best musicals I’ve ever seen,” he said. Fela, a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist, a musician and composer, the pioneer of Afrobeat music, human rights activist, and a political maverick, defied Nigeria’s corrupt and oppressive military governments and devoted his life and music to the struggle for freedom and … Continue reading →
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catia mota da cruz,
charles yancey,
cutler majestic theatre,
emerson college |
FELA! producer Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson dropped by WGCI 107.5 in Chicago to chat with Loni Swain. This interview aired April 9th, 2012 — but you can stream it here indefinitely.
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chicago,
fela,
fela kuti,
fela musical,
loni swain,
questlove,
radio,
wgci |
Attention Chicagoans, or those who know the Windy City well enough to GUESS WHERE THIS VAN IS! The first Facebook user that can name the Chicago neighborhood in which the FELA! van below is parked wins a FELA! Cast Recording and FELA! Mug set. If you have no idea where this is, but want these things anyway, you can pick them up at the FELA! Store. P.S. – has anyone seen this van?
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contest,
facebook,
fela,
fela kuti,
lemi ghariokwu |
Back in 2008, Ahmir Thompson aka ?uestlove of The Roots saw FELA! in New York and wrote about his experience. Read it here. ——————————————————————– i wrote an email to all my industry pals after i saw the FELA! musical tonight. i decided to share it with you. ladies and gentlemen this is ahmir. its is 5:58am in the morning and i just got home. i witnessed a miracle tonight and it is a MUST you read this. and when i say miracle you have to think this on the level of sam jackson trying to convince john travolta in pulp fiction to acknowledge the miracle that just occured (them escaping death by *this* much) i didn’t escape death tonight. actually i believe i found life … Continue reading →
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ahmir thompson,
broadway,
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It’s Bob Marley’s Birthday — and therefore, the perfect time to share this article by noted music writer, Vivien Goldman. HBD, Bob! ———————————————————– BOB MARLEY & FELA KUTI Musical giants in a time of revolution An exclusive extract from the upcoming book AFROBEAT ART (Part 1); The Revolutionary Vision of Fela Kuti and “His Artist” Ghariokwu Lemi by Ghariokwu & Goldman Rebel music owned 1977 when musical giants walked among us. As Fela’s ferocious Afrobeat on his all-conquering track, Zombie, rose to challenge the tender lilt of Ghanaian highlife, then Nigeria’s most loved sound, it was part of a popular musical revolutionary front. In London and New York, Punk’s Sex Pistols, Clash and Ramones were yowling into being. In Afrikan Amerika, the funk … Continue reading →
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bob marley,
fela kuti,
reggae,
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A couple happenings in the world of FELA! we wanted to alert you to — Ziggy Marley showed us some serious love recently. We’re giddy. Won’t you follow him on Twitter? Psst. Don’t forget to follow us too if you haven’t already. And look who visited us at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles recently: Taye Diggs and actress Idina Menzel! The star of Broadway’s RENT and How Stella Got Her Groove Back stopped by for a photo with cast member Adechike Torbert. You may recognize him from Private Practice. Check out more sightings on the rest of our blog — You may see a certain Stevie…
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how stella got her groove back,
rent,
taye diggs,
ziggy marley |
Fela spoke out against widespread government corruption and police brutality in 1970s Nigeria. In the immediate present, Fela’s message of resistance can be heard ringing through the OccupyNigeria movement: protestors in Lagos have resurrected their national political hero by playing tracks like “Zombie” and “Gentleman” at demonstrations, while decrying President Jonathan Goodyear’s recent removal of the national fuel subsidy — the only tangible benefit Nigerians (who often live on less than $2 a day) receive from the government. The removal of the subsidy took effect from Sunday, 1 January 2012 as announced by the Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA Reginald Stanley. In response, demonstrations have cropped up not only in Nigeria, but also abroad in London, New York, and Washington … Continue reading →
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chinua achebe,
fela kuti,
fuel subsidy,
goodyear jonathan,
nigeria,
occupy nigeria,
omoyele sowore,
sahara reporters,
seun kuti,
the stream,
zombie |
