playername	Stephen Keshi
fullname	Stephen Okechukwu Keshi
dateofbirth	January 31, 1962
cityofbirth	Lagos
countryofbirth	Nigeria
position	Defender
currentclub	Nigeria
clubnumber	Manager
years1	1979
years2	1980–1984
years3	1985
years4	1986
years5	1986–1987
years6	1987–1991
years7	1991–1993
years8	1993–1994
years9	1995
years10	1996
years11	1997
clubs1	ACB Lagos
clubs2	New Nigeria Bank
clubs3	Stade d'Abidjan
clubs4	Africa Sports
clubs5	Lokeren
clubs6	Anderlecht
clubs7	RC Strasbourg
clubs8	Molenbeek
clubs9	CCV Hydra
clubs10	Sacramento Scorpions
clubs11	Perlis FA
caps5	28
caps6	99
caps7	62
caps8	4
goals5	6
goals6	18
goals7	9
goals8	0
nationalyears1	1983–1995
nationalteam1	Nigeria
manageryears1	2004–2006
manageryears2	2007
manageryears3	2008–2010
manageryears4	2011
manageryears5	2011–
managerclubs1	Togo
managerclubs2	Togo
managerclubs3	Mali
managerclubs4	Togo
managerclubs5	Nigeria }}

Stephen Okechukwu Keshi (born January 31, 1962 in Lagos) is a former football defender from Nigeria.

Playing career

An important player for Nigeria, Keshi was captain of the squad for the 1994 FIFA World Cup and played in five different African Nations Cup tournaments, helping to win the 1994 African Nations Cup.

His last club was Perlis FA in Malaysia. In 2000, a testimonial match was arranged for him in Lagos, Nigeria.

Coaching career

After a playing career mostly with Belgian clubs, Keshi went to the United States to be educated in coaching.

In 1996 he was joined by Augustine Eguavoen, who once coached the Nigerian national team. They played together in California as the backbone of the defense for the short-lived Sacramento Scorpions. Keshi has been a part of the coaching staff for the Nigerian national team, most notably as head coach for the Junior Eagles at the 2004 Olympic soccer tournament.

Between 2004 and 2006 Keshi coached the Togo national football team, unexpectedly bringing them to their first World Cup tournament, Germany 2006. Having secured Togo's unlikely qualification, he was promptly replaced by German coach Otto Pfister prior to the World Cup finals, after Togo showed a dismal performance and failed to advance to the tournament stage in 2006 African Cup of Nations in Egypt.

However, Pfister did not last beyond a controversial World Cup campaign that nearly resulted in a player's strike over pay and Togo remained without a manager until February 2007 when they re-engaged Keshi in time for a friendly against Cameroon.

He worked as manager of the Mali national football team, after being appointed in April 2008 on a two-year deal.

Keshi was sacked in January 2010, after Mali's early exit in the group stages of the Africa Cup of Nations. On 2 November 2011 he was named the new coach of the Nigerian National Team.

Honours

African Nations Cup: 1994 (with Nigeria)

West African Club Championship: 1983, 1984 (with New Nigeria Bank FC)

Coupe Houphoet Boigny: 1985, 1986 (with Stade d'Abidjan)

Côte d'Ivoire Premier Division: 1986 (with Africa Sports)

Côte d'Ivoire Coupe: 1986 (with Africa Sports)

Jupiler League: 1991 (with Anderlecht)

Belgian Cup: 1988, 1989 (with Anderlecht)

References

External links

Category:Nigerian footballers Category:Nigerian football managers Category:Nigeria international footballers Category:Nigerian expatriate footballers Category:1962 births Category:Living people Category:K.S.C. Lokeren Oost-Vlaanderen players Category:R.S.C. Anderlecht players Category:RC Strasbourg players Category:1994 FIFA World Cup players Category:1995 King Fahd Cup players Category:1982 African Cup of Nations players Category:1988 African Cup of Nations players Category:1994 African Cup of Nations players Category:Belgian Pro League players Category:USISL players Category:CCV Hydra players Category:Sacramento Scorpions players Category:Expatriate footballers in Malaysia Category:Expatriate footballers in Belgium Category:Expatriate footballers in France Category:Expatriate soccer players in the United States Category:Stade d'Abidjan players Category:R. White Daring Molenbeek players Category:Africa Sports players Category:Expatriate footballers in Côte d'Ivoire Category:Nigerian expatriates in Malaysia Category:Nigerian expatriates in Côte d'Ivoire Category:Perlis FA players

de:Stephen Keshi fr:Stephen Keshi it:Stephen Keshi nl:Stephen Keshi pl:Stephen Keshi pt:Stephen Keshi fi:Stephen Keshi yo:Stephen Keshi

name	Joakim Noah
number	13
position	Center
height ft	6
height in	11
weight lb	232
team	Chicago Bulls
birth date	February 25, 1985
birth place	New York City, New York, U.S.
nationality
high school	United Nations International SchoolPoly Prep Country Day SchoolThe Lawrenceville School
college	Florida (2004–2007)
draft year	2007
draft round	1
draft pick	9
draft team	Chicago Bulls
career start	2007
years1	2007–present
team1	Chicago Bulls
highlights	2× NCAA Championship (2006, 2007) NCAA Final Four MOP (2006) Second-team All-American (2007) All-Defensive Second Team ()
bbr	noahjo01
letter	n
profile	joakim_noah
medaltemplates	}}

}}

Joakim Simon Noah ( ; born February 25, 1985) is a professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born in New York City to a Swedish mother and French father, he holds American, Swedish and French citizenship. He played college basketball for the University of Florida, and was a key member of the Florida Gators' starting five that won two consecutive NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournaments in 2006 and 2007. In 2007, the Chicago Bulls selected Noah in the first round (ninth pick overall) in the 2007 NBA Draft.

Early life

Noah was born in New York City in 1985 to French singer and former professional tennis player Yannick Noah, and Cécilia Rodhe, Miss Sweden 1978. His paternal grandfather Zacharie Noah was a Cameroonian professional soccer player, winner of the Coupe de France in 1961. Noah lived in Paris, France from 1988 to 1998 and returned to New York City at age 13.

He competed on basketball teams at several high schools: the United Nations International School, Poly Prep, and The Lawrenceville School.

College career

During his freshman year at Florida (2004–2005), he played sparingly, clocking in just 10.3 minutes per game, and averaged only 3.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per contest.

Noah made significant improvements during his sophomore year (2005–2006), leading his team in points (14.2 ppg) and blocks (2.4 bpg), while ranking second in rebounds (7.1 rpg) behind teammate Al Horford (7.6 rpg). Almost unknown at the beginning of the season, Noah's draft stock improved continually. By the end of the NCAA tournament he was considered by many to be the top college prospect in the country, and had he declared for the 2006 NBA Draft he very likely would have been taken first or second. However, Noah, along with teammates Al Horford and Corey Brewer announced at their national championship celebration that they would return for their junior seasons. Noah and the Gators would go on to repeat as champions.

2006 NCAA Tournament

Noah was named the Most Outstanding Player (MOP) of the NCAA Tournament's Minneapolis Regional after leading the Gators over top-seeded Villanova in the final game with 26 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks. On April 3, 2006, Noah led the Gators to a 73–57 win over UCLA for the school's first NCAA Basketball Championship, and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. In the finale, he posted 16 points, 9 rebounds, and a championship game record 6 blocks.

Professional career

Early career

The Chicago Bulls selected Noah as the ninth overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. Noah and his teammates at Florida, Corey Brewer and Al Horford, became the highest picked trio from the same college in the history of the NBA. Horford was chosen third overall by the Atlanta Hawks, and Brewer was chosen seventh overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves. On November 6, 2007, Noah made his regular season debut off the bench after missing the first three games with a sprained ankle. He posted 2 points and 4 rebounds. Noah averaged 6.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game during the 2008–09 regular season. Noah played a key role in game 6 of the 2009 Eastern Conference first round playoff series between the Bulls and the Boston Celtics. In the final minute of the game's third overtime period, with the score tied at 123–123, he stole the ball from Paul Pierce and dribbled down the court (unusual for a center) for a dunk, drawing Pierce's sixth foul in the process. The Bulls went on to win the game 128–127, though they would lose the series in Game 7.

2009–10 season

During the 2009–10 season, Noah averaged 10.7 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. He only played 64 games due to injury, though. The Bulls once again made the playoffs securing the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. In the playoffs, Noah averaged 14.8 points per game and 13.0 rebounds, but the Bulls lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round in five games.

2010–11 season

On October 4, 2010, Noah signed a five-year, $60 million contract extension with the Bulls. On December 15, 2010, the Bulls announced that due to ligament damage in Noah's hand, he would have surgery and miss 8 to 10 weeks. Noah was averaging 14 points and 11.7 rebounds in the 24 games prior to his injury. He returned to action in the 55th game of the season on February 23 after recuperating from right thumb surgery. He scored 7 points and had 16 rebounds in just over 24 minutes. He returned to the inactive list for games 74, 75 and 76.

2011–12 season

On February 22, 2012, Noah recorded his first career triple-double with 13 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks. It was the first triple-double by a Bulls center since Artis Gilmore recorded one in 1977.

International play

Noah plays for the French national basketball team, although he also could have been eligible for the American or Swedish team. "The French National team is definitely something that has been in my dreams for a while," he said. He was officially made a French citizen on April 11, 2007. Noah speaks fluent French.

Noah made his first appearance for the French national basketball team on August 9, 2011 in the friendly match against Spain where he scored 6 points with 3 rebounds.

Noah then joined the French team at EuroBasket 2011.

Player profile

Noah is known for his high energy play especially on the defensive end. He is a tenacious rebounder on both ends of the floor and is a capable ball-handler and passer at the center position. His unorthodox shooting style has been the subject of much criticism. However, Noah has improved his free throw shooting and is an effective finisher close to the basket.

Personal life

On May 25, 2008, Noah was arrested for having an open container of alcohol and misdemeanor possession of marijuana in Gainesville, Florida. A few hours later, Noah was also cited for driving with a suspended license and not wearing a seat belt. He was sentenced to six months probation, a $200 fine for the marijuana and open container charges, and a $206 traffic fine.

Noah divides his time between Chicago and Florida during the off-season.

Noah, along with Bulls teammate Luol Deng support the Barclays Premier League team Arsenal F.C..

Awards

NCAA

2006 Associated Press (AP) All-SEC First Team

Named an Honorable Mention All-American by AP.

Most Outstanding Player in the 2006 Final Four

NCAA Men's Division 1 basketball champion – 2006,2007

NBA

2011 All-Defensive Second Team

Sponsorship

Joakim Noah is sponsored by Le Coq Sportif and currently wears their basketball shoes. Noah is also sponsored by the BSN supplement brand.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | align="left" | 2007–08 | align="left" | Chicago | 74 || 31 || 20.7 || .482 || .000 || .691 || 5.6 || 1.1 || .9 || .9 || 6.6 |- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Chicago | 80 || 55 || 24.2 || .556 || .000 || .676 || 7.6 || 1.3 || .6 || 1.4 || 6.7 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Chicago | 64 || 54 || 30.1 || .504 || .000 || .744 || 11.0 || 2.1 || .5 || 1.6 || 10.7 |- | align="left" | 2010–11 | align="left" | Chicago | 48 || 48 || 32.8 || .525 || .000 || .764 || 10.4|| 2.2 || 1.0 || 1.5 || 11.7 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 266 || 188 || 26.2 || .516 || .000 || .714 || 8.4 || 1.6 || .7 || 1.3 || 8.5

Playoffs

|- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Chicago | 7 || 7 || 38.7 || .510 || .000 || .760 || 13.1 || 2.3 || .9 || 2.1 || 10.1 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Chicago | 5 || 5 || 36.6 || .528 || .000 || .947 || 13.0 || 2.6 || 1.8 || 1.4 || 14.8 |- | align="left" | 2010–11 | align="left" | Chicago | 16 || 16 || 33.1 || .411 || .000 || .725 || 10.2 || 2.5 || 1.0 || 2.1 || 8.7 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 28 || 28 || 35.3 || .461 || .000 || .779 || 11.4 || 2.5 || 1.1 || 2.0 || 10.1

See also

2005–06 Florida Gators men's basketball team

2006–07 Florida Gators men's basketball team

Florida Gators

List of Florida Gators basketball players

References

External links

DraftExpress profile

Florida Gators bio

{{navboxes|list= }}

Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:African American basketball players Category:American people of Cameroonian descent Category:American people of French descent Category:American people of Swedish descent Category:Basketball players from New York Category:Chicago Bulls draft picks Category:Chicago Bulls players Category:Florida Gators men's basketball players Category:Lawrenceville School alumni Category:Power forwards (basketball) Category:Sportspeople from New York City Category:Sportspeople from Paris

de:Joakim Noah et:Joakim Noah es:Joakim Noah fr:Joakim Noah hr:Joakim Noah it:Joakim Noah he:ג'ואקים נואה lv:Žoakims Noā nl:Joakim Noah ja:ジョアキム・ノア no:Joakim Noah pl:Joakim Noah pt:Joakim Noah ru:Ноа, Джоаким sr:Жоаким Ноа fi:Joakim Noah sv:Joakim Noah tl:Joakim Noah tr:Joakim Noah zh:乔金·诺阿

Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti
Alias	Fela Anikulapo KutiFela Ransome-Kuti
Birth date	October 15, 1938
Birth place	Abeokuta, Nigeria
Death date	August 02, 1997
Instrument	Saxophone, vocals, keyboards, trumpet, guitar, drums
Genre	Afrobeat, Highlife
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, activist
Years active	1958–1997
Label	Barclay/PolyGram, MCA/Universal, Celluloid, EMI Nigeria, JVC, Wrasse, Shanachie, Knitting Factory
Associated acts	Africa '70, Egypt '80, Koola Lobitos, Nigeria '70, Hugh Masekela, Ginger Baker, Tony Allen, Femi Kuti, Seun Kuti, Roy Ayers, Lester Bowie
Website
Past members	}}

Fela Anikulapo Kuti (15 October 1938 — 2 August 1997), or simply Fela (), was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of Afrobeat music, human rights activist, and political maverick.

Biography

Early life and career

Fela was born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria into a middle-class family. His mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was a feminist activist in the anti-colonial movement and his father, Reverend Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti, a Protestant minister and school principal, was the first president of the Nigerian Union of Teachers. His brothers, Beko Ransome-Kuti and Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, both medical doctors, are well known in Nigeria. Fela was a first cousin to the Nigerian writer and Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, the first African to win a Nobel Prize for Literature.

Fela was sent to London in 1958 to study medicine but decided to study music instead at the Trinity College of Music. While there, he formed the band Koola Lobitos, playing a fusion of jazz and highlife. In 1960, Fela married his first wife, Remilekun (Remi) Taylor, with whom he would have three children (Femi, Yeni, and Sola). In 1963, Fela moved back to Nigeria, re-formed Koola Lobitos and trained as a radio producer for the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation. He played for some time with Victor Olaiya and his All Stars.

In 1967, he went to Ghana to think up a new musical direction. That was when Kuti first called his music Afrobeat. In 1969, Fela took the band to the United States. While there, Fela discovered the Black Power movement through Sandra Smith (now Izsadore)—a partisan of the Black Panther Party — which would heavily influence his music and political views and renamed the band Nigeria '70. Soon, the Immigration and Naturalization Service was tipped off by a promoter that Fela and his band were in the U.S. without work permits. The band then performed a quick recording session in Los Angeles that would later be released as ''The '69 Los Angeles Sessions''.

1970's

After Fela and his band returned to Nigeria, the band was renamed The Africa '70, as lyrical themes changed from love to social issues. He then formed the Kalakuta Republic, a commune, a recording studio, and a home for many connected to the band that he later declared independent from the Nigerian state. Fela set up a nightclub in the Empire Hotel, named the Afro-Spot and then the Afrika Shrine, where he performed regularly. Fela also changed his middle name to Anikulapo (meaning "he who carries death in his pouch"), stating that his original middle name of Ransome was a slave name. The recordings continued, and the music became more politically motivated.

Fela's music became very popular among the Nigerian public and Africans in general. In fact, he made the decision to sing in Pidgin English so that his music could be enjoyed by individuals all over Africa, where the local languages spoken are very diverse and numerous. As popular as Fela's music had become in Nigeria and elsewhere, it was also very unpopular with the ruling government, and raids on the Kalakuta Republic were frequent. During 1972, Ginger Baker recorded ''Stratavarious'' with Fela appearing alongside Bobby Gass. Around this time, Kuti was becoming more involved in Yoruba religion.

In 1977, Fela and the Afrika '70 released the album ''Zombie'', a scathing attack on Nigerian soldiers using the zombie metaphor to describe the methods of the Nigerian military. The album was a smash hit and infuriated the government, setting off a vicious attack against the Kalakuta Republic, during which one thousand soldiers attacked the commune. Fela was severely beaten, and his elderly mother was thrown from a window, causing fatal injuries. The Kalakuta Republic was burned, and Fela's studio, instruments, and master tapes were destroyed. Fela claimed that he would have been killed had it not been for the intervention of a commanding officer as he was being beaten. Fela's response to the attack was to deliver his mother's coffin to the Dodan Barracks in Lagos, General Olusegun Obasanjo's residence, and to write two songs, "Coffin for Head of State" and "Unknown Soldier", referencing the official inquiry that claimed the commune had been destroyed by an unknown soldier.

Fela and his band then took residence in Crossroads Hotel as the Shrine had been destroyed along with his commune. In 1978, Fela married twenty-seven women, many of whom were his dancers, composers, and singers to mark the anniversary of the attack on the Kalakuta Republic. Later, he was to adopt a rotation system of keeping only twelve simultaneous wives. The year was also marked by two notorious concerts, the first in Accra in which riots broke out during the song "Zombie", which led to Fela being banned from entering Ghana. The second was at the Berlin Jazz Festival after which most of Fela's musicians deserted him, due to rumors that Fela was planning to use the entire proceeds to fund his presidential campaign.

Despite the massive setbacks, Fela was determined to come back. He formed his own political party, which he called Movement of the People. In 1979, he put himself forward for President in Nigeria's first elections for more than a decade, but his candidature was refused. At this time, Fela created a new band called Egypt '80 and continued to record albums and tour the country. He further infuriated the political establishment by dropping the names of ITT vice-president Moshood Abiola and then General Olusegun Obasanjo at the end of a hot-selling 25-minute political screed titled "I.T.T. (International Thief-Thief)".

1980's and beyond

In 1984, Muhammadu Buhari's government, of which Kuti was a vocal opponent, jailed him on a charge of currency smuggling which Amnesty International and others denounced as politically motivated. His case was taken up by several human-rights groups, and after 20 months, he was released from prison by General Ibrahim Babangida. On his release he divorced his twelve remaining wives, saying that "marriage brings jealousy and selfishness".

Once again, Fela continued to release albums with Egypt '80, made a number of successful tours of the United States and Europe and also continued to be politically active. In 1986, Fela performed in Giants Stadium in New Jersey as part of the Amnesty International A Conspiracy of Hope concert, sharing the bill with Bono, Carlos Santana, and The Neville Brothers. In 1989, Fela and Egypt '80 released the anti-apartheid ''Beasts of No Nation'' album that depicts on its cover U.S. President Ronald Reagan, UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and South African Prime Minister Pieter Willem Botha.

His album output slowed in the 1990s, and eventually he stopped releasing albums altogether. In 1993, he and four members of the Afrika '70 organization were arrested for murder. The battle against military corruption in Nigeria was taking its toll, especially during the rise of dictator Sani Abacha. Rumors were also spreading that he was suffering from an illness for which he was refusing treatment.

Death

On 3 August 1997, Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, already a prominent AIDS activist and former Minister of Health, stunned the nation by announcing his younger brother's death a day earlier from Kaposi's sarcoma which was brought on by AIDS. More than a million people attended Fela's funeral at the site of the old Shrine compound. A new Africa Shrine has opened since Fela's death in a different section of Lagos under the supervision of his son Femi Kuti.

Music

The musical style performed by Fela Kuti is called Afrobeat, which is a complex fusion of Jazz, Funk, Ghanaian/Nigerian High-life, psychedelic rock, and traditional West African chants and rhythms. Afrobeat also borrows heavily from the native "tinker pan" African-style percussion that Kuti acquired while studying in Ghana with Hugh Masekela, under the uncanny Hedzoleh Soundz. The importance of the input of Tony Allen (Fela's drummer of twenty years) in the creation of Afrobeat cannot be overstated. Fela once famously stated that "without Tony Allen, there would be no Afrobeat".

Afrobeat is characterized by a fairly large band with many instruments, vocals, and a musical structure featuring jazzy, funky horn sections. The "endless groove" is used, in which a base rhythm of drums, shekere, muted West African-style guitar, and melodic bass guitar riffs are repeated throughout the song. Commonly, interlocking melodic riffs and rhythms are introduced one by one, building the groove bit-by-bit and layer-by-layer to an astonishing melodic and polyrhythmic complexity. The horn section then becomes prominent, introducing other riffs and main melodic themes.

Fela's band was notable for featuring two baritone saxophones, whereas most groups were using only one of this instrument. This is a common technique in African and African-influenced musical styles, and can be seen in funk and hip hop. Fela's bands at times even performed with two bassists at the same time both playing interlocking melodies and rhythms. There were always two or more guitarists. The electric West African style guitar in Afrobeat bands are paramount, but are used to give basic structure, playing a repeating chordal/melodic statement, riff, or groove.

Some elements often present in Fela's music are the call-and-response within the chorus and figurative but simple lyrics. Fela's songs were also very long, at least 10–15 minutes in length, and many reaching the 20 or even 30 minutes, while some unreleased tracks would last up to 45 minutes when performed live. This was one of many reasons that his music never reached a substantial degree of popularity outside Africa. His LP records frequently had one 30-minute track per side. Typically there is an instrumental "introduction" jam part of the song, perhaps 10-15 minutes long, before Fela starts singing the "main" part.

His songs were mostly sung in Nigerian pidgin, although he also performed a few songs in the Yoruba language. Fela's main instruments were the saxophone and the keyboards, but he also played the trumpet, electric guitar, and took the occasional drum solo. Fela refused to perform songs again after he had already recorded them, which also hindered his popularity outside Africa.

Fela was known for his showmanship, and his concerts were often quite outlandish and wild. He referred to his stage act as the Underground Spiritual Game. Fela attempted making a movie but lost all the materials to the fire that was set to his house by the military government in power. Kuti thought that art, and thus his own music, should have political meaning.

Political views

As a supporter of traditional religions and lifestyles, Kuti thought that the most important thing for Africans to fight is European cultural imperialism. The American Black Power movement also influenced Fela's political views; he was a supporter of Pan-Africanism and socialism, and called for a united, democratic African republic. He was a candid supporter of human rights, and many of his songs are direct attacks against dictatorships, specifically the militaristic governments of Nigeria in the 1970s and 1980s. He was also a social commentator, and he criticized his fellow Africans (especially the upper class) for betraying traditional African culture. The African culture he believed in also included having many wives (polygyny) and the Kalakuta Republic was formed in part as a polygamist colony. He defended his stance on polygyny with the words: "A man goes for many women in the first place. Like in Europe, when a man is married, when the wife is sleeping, he goes out and fucks around. He should bring the women in the house, man, to live with him, and stop running around the streets!" His views towards women are characterized by some as misogynist, with songs like "Mattress" typically cited as evidence In a more complex example, he mocks the aspiration of African women to European standards of ladyhood while extolling the values of the market woman in his song "Lady".

Bypassing editorial censorship in Nigeria's predominantly state controlled media, Kuti began in the 1970s buying advertising space in daily and weekly newspapers such as ''The Daily Times'' and ''The Punch'' in order to run outspoken political columns. Published throughout the 1970s and early 1980s under the title ''Chief Priest Say'', these columns were essentially extensions of Kuti's famous Yabi Sessions—consciousness-raising word-sound rituals, with himself as chief priest, conducted at his Lagos nightclub. Organized around a militantly Afrocentric rendering of history and the essence of black beauty, ''Chief Priest Say'' focused on the role of cultural hegemony in the continuing subjugation of Africans. Kuti addressed a number of topics, from explosive denunciations of the Nigerian Government's criminal behavior; Islam and Christianity's exploitative nature, and evil multinational corporations; to deconstructions of Western medicine, Black Muslims, sex, pollution, and poverty. ''Chief Priest Say'' was cancelled, first by ''Daily Times'' then by ''Punch'', ostensibly due to non-payment, but many commentators have speculated that the paper's respective editors were placed under increasingly violent pressure to stop publication.

The Fela revival

In recent years there has been a revitalization of Fela's influence on music and popular culture, culminating in another re-release of his catalog controlled by Universal Music, off- and on-Broadway biopic shows, and new bands, such as Antibalas, who carry the Afrobeat banner to a new generation of listeners.

In 1999, Universal Music France, under the aegis of Francis Kertekian, remastered the 45 albums that it controlled and released them on twenty-six compact discs. These titles were licensed to other territories of the world with the exception of Nigeria and Japan, where Fela's music was controlled by other companies. In 2005, Universal Music USA licensed all of its world-music titles to the UK-based label Wrasse Records, which repackaged the same twenty-six CDs for distribution in the USA (replacing the MCA-issued titles there) and the UK. In 2009, Universal created a new deal for the USA with Knitting Factory Records and for Europe with PIAS, which included the release of the ''Fela!'' Broadway cast album.

Thomas McCarthy's 2008 film ''The Visitor'' depicted a disconnected professor (Oscar nominee Richard Jenkins) who wanted to play the djembe. He learns from a young Syrian (Haaz Sleiman) who tells the professor he will never truly understand African music unless he listens to Fela. The film features clips of Fela's "Open and Close" and "Je'nwi Temi (Don't Gag Me)".

In 2008, an off-Broadway production of Fela Kuti's life titled ''Fela!'' began with a collaborative workshop between the Afrobeat band Antibalas and Tony award-winner Bill T. Jones. The show was a massive success, selling out shows during its run, and garnering much critical acclaim. On November 22, 2009, ''Fela!'' began a run on Broadway at the Eugene O'Neill Theater. Jim Lewis helped co-write the play (along with Bill T. Jones), and obtained producer backing from Jay-Z and Will Smith, among others. On May 4, 2010, ''Fela!'' was nominated for 11 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical for Bill T. Jones, Best Leading Actor in a Musical for Sahr Ngaujah, and Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Lillias White.

On August 18, 2009, award-winning DJ J.Period released a free mixtape to the general public via his website that was a collaboration with Somali-born hip-hop artist K'naan paying tribute to Fela, Bob Marley and Bob Dylan, entitled ''The Messengers''.

In October 2009, Knitting Factory Records began the process of re-releasing the 45 titles that Universal Music controls, starting with yet another re-release of the compilation ''The Best of the Black President'' in the USA. The rest is expected to be released in 2010.

In addition, a movie by Focus Features, directed by Steve McQueen and written by Biyi Bandele about the life of Fela Kuti went into production in 2010. It was announced in 2010 that Chiwetel Ejiofor would play the lead role.

Discography

Filmography

''Fela in Concert'', 1981, (VIEW)

''Music is the Weapon'', 1982, Stéphane Tchal-Gadjieff and Jean Jacques Flori (Universal Music)

''Fela Live! Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and the Egypt ’80 Band'', 1984, Recorded Live At Glastonbury, England (Yazoo)

''Femi Kuti—Live at the Shrine'', 2005, recorded Live At Lagos, Nigeria (Palm Pictures)

Notes

References

[authorized biography]

External links

'He was in a godlike state' - ''Guardian'' feature by Alex Hannaford, 25 July 2007.

The Shrine Unofficial website for Fela Kuti and Afrobeat Music with news, bio's, tour dates, gig reviews, interviews, and lyrics.

Fela Kuti article from the New Official Ginger Baker Archive and Drummers forum launched by the Baker family September 2010

Fela Kuti biography at World Music Central, includes biography, discography and bibliography

Category:1938 births Category:1997 deaths Category:Nigerian musicians Category:Nigerian songwriters Category:Nigerian saxophonists Category:Bandleaders Category:Pan-Africanism Category:People from Abeokuta Category:AIDS-related deaths in Nigeria Category:Polygamy Category:Yoruba musicians Category:World music musicians Category:Trinity College of Music alumni Category:MCA Records artists

de:Fela Kuti et:Fela Kuti es:Fela Kuti eo:Fela Kuti eu:Fela Kuti fr:Fela Kuti it:Fela Kuti he:פלה קוטי sw:Fela Kuti nl:Fela Kuti ja:フェラ・クティ no:Fela Kuti nn:Fela Kuti pl:Fela Kuti pt:Fela Kuti simple:Fela Kuti fi:Fela Kuti sv:Fela Kuti tr:Fela Kuti yo:Fela Kuti