Hugh Masekela, Fela Kuti and other African artistes who used the power of music to inspire political change

Fela Kuti

A maverick that pursued change until his death, Fela Kuti made music that transcended every sphere of the art. At the height of his fame, he created songs that had revolutionary undertones and incited people against the government of the day for a good cause. His songs poked holes into government policies and exposed government cruelty towards the people.

Those songs included, Zombie, Coffin for head of state, shuffering and shmiling, M.O.P, Frustration, and many others.

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In a career that spanned more than 30 years, he was at some point pushed into the presidential race in Nigeria. Fela was born to an upper-middle-class family based in Ogun State. His mother, Chief Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, was a feminist in the anti-colonial movement and his father, Reverend Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti was an Anglican minister and school principal, who was the first president of the Nigeria Union of Teachers.