Fela’s biography to be republished in Nigeria

Fela: This Bitch of a Life – the authorised biography of Fela Anikulapo Kuti was first published 28 years ago, and is written in the first person and  so reads like an autobiography. In just under 350 pages, the reader is invited to the living room of Fela’s iconoclastic mind, discovering from the inside the […]

Fela: This Bitch of a Life – the authorised biography of Fela Anikulapo Kuti was first published 28 years ago, and is written in the first person and  so reads like an autobiography.

In just under 350 pages, the reader is invited to the living room of Fela’s iconoclastic mind, discovering from the inside the key turning points in his life – his childhood in Abeokuta and the forceful influence of his parents, especially his mother; student life in England; his coming to black consciousness in America (and his encounters with Funk and some of the key players in African-American musical and political culture); his return to Nigeria and setting up the Shrine and Kalakuta Republic and his increasingly painful struggles with the authorities in Nigeria in the 1970s and 1980s. Reading about Fela brings to life post-Independence African history in all its turbulence and drama. The book also includes interviews with some of Fela’s wives, allowing the reader to get an intimate perspective on Fela as a husband and as a lover.

The new edition, published by Cassava Republic, includes never-before-seen content: a Preface by renowned Brazilian musician and statesman Gilberto Gil, a Prologue by Fela’s friend Lindsay Barrett, an introduction and a moving epilogue by Carlos Moore written specially for this edition and discography. It also includes the two part magnificently illustrated Afa Ojo sections, which delve into the mystical aspects of Fela’s character. The cover and artwork for this new version were designed by Lemi Ghariokwu, the original designer of some of Fela’s most iconic album covers.
Cassava Republic’s Publishing Director, Bibi Bakare-Yusuf, says “We are very excited to make Carlos Moore’s classic and illuminating biography of Fela Kuti available for the first time on the continent. We also believe that everyone interested in African music and socio-political history will not want to miss the opportunity to own a copy of this particular edition.”

The author, Dr Carlos Moore, will be touring Nigeria in October. The tour events will be the only place where the book will be available before it goes on general release in January 2011.  Apart from the Mon 11th and Wednesday 13th all events will attract an entry fee of N2000 (which includes a copy of the book). The tour dates for Nigeria are as follows:

DATE & TIME VENUE

Saturday 9th October, 4pm Centre for Contemporary Arts, 9 McEwen St, Sabo, Lagos (book reading with special guests)
Sunday 10th October, 4pm Life House, 33 Sinari Daranijo St, off Younis Bashoroun St, off Ajose Adeogun, Victoria Island, Lagos (with live band)
Monday 11th October, 10am The New Africa Shrine, NERDC Road, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lecture, “Fela: Music is the Weapon” (Symposium second in a series tagged “The Fela Debates”)
Wednesday 13th October, 11am Unilag, Faculty of Arts Boardroom (in conjunction with
CBAAC). Public Lecture: “What is Africa to me?”: Fela Kuti and the reshaping of the Pan-African Dream in the post-colonial Era”
Saturday 16th October, 4pm French Cultural Centre, 52 Libreville Street, Off Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse 2 (book reading).