Music must awaken people to do their duty as citizens and act.
Fela KutiRead
The rhythm, the sounds, the tonality, the chord sequences, the individual effect of each instrument and each section of the band - I'm talking about a whole continent in my music.
Interpretation
Fela Kuti expresses how his music embodies the essence and diversity of his cultural background.
In this quote, Fela Kuti highlights the intricate elements of his music, such as rhythm, sounds, and chord sequences, emphasizing that they collectively represent a rich tapestry of cultural heritage. He articulates that through these musical components, he conveys the depth and vibrancy of an entire continent, showcasing how music can serve as a powerful medium for cultural expression.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of cultural representation in the arts.
Music must awaken people to do their duty as citizens and act.
I'm playing deep African music.
The art, the greatness of the music, the experience of the music is what I'm about. I think most African artists have destroyed their artistry by commercialization, and I don't want to belong to that bag.
The human spirit is stronger than any government or institution.
My message was 'Think African. Make schools read African history.'
Music is a weapon of the future / music is the weapon of the progressives / music is the weapon of the givers of life
Fiction, I believed, was the transmutation of experiential dross into linguistic gold. Fiction meant taking up whatever the world had abandoned by the road and making something beautiful out of it.
The thing I love about music is that you can take things that are painful, deep things that hurt you, and you can turn them into something beautiful.
When asked, 'How do you write?' I invariably answer, 'one word at a time.'
When you play a sax, that saxophone is irreverent. It's noisy; it's a trickster... you cannot hide the saxophone in your hands, so it's a good teacher.
It always gave me the creeps when I saw performers who desperately wanted the audience to like them. That's not what I'm about.
There is in true beauty, as in courage, something which narrow souls cannot dare to admire.
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