Naomi Campbell Honours Fela Anikulapo Kuti
Popular British model, actress and businesswoman, Naomi Elaine Campbell has posthumously showered accolades on African Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti.
Fela was no doubt a hero for the voiceless Nigerians, a legend of the entertainment industry in Nigeria and Africa at large and believer of what is good.
Fela Anikulapo Kuti, born on 15th October, 1938 and died mysteriously on 2nd August 1997 was professionally known as Fela Kuti, or simply Fela.
He was a multi-instrumentalist, musician, composer, pioneer of the Afrobeat music genre and human rights activist.
Appreciating the late African king of Afrobeat, Naomi Campbell took to her social media handle to pen a sensational message about the legend.
The renown model described Fela as one who was more than a musician, a voice of resistance for the Nigerian poor and homeless people. A cultural rebel and a prolific musical artist, who created and popularize his own unique style of Afrobeat music, she added.
In Naomi’s words:
“Fela Anikulapo Kuti also known as Fela Kuti ?? Nigerian musician, composer, and pioneer of the Afrobeats musical genre; political activist, a lover of humanity and a hero in the minds of so many African people.”
“In the 1970s and ’80s, Kuti’s rebellious song lyrics established him as political dissident. Afrobeat in turn became associated with making statements about the sociopolitical state of the culture, and the affect of greed and corruption on it’s people.”
“Fela was more than a musician, he was a voice of resistance for the Nigerian have-nots, a cultural rebel and a prolific musical artist, creating and popularizing his own unique style of Afrobeat music, a genre that is stronger and more alive today than ever.”
“Thank you Fela Kuti for your impact on the culture and on the world. We honor your legacy, and may you be resting in power, King.”
Discovered at the age of 15, Naomi established herself amongst the most recognizable and in-demand models of the late 1980s and the 1990s.
Campbell is one of six models of her generation declared supermodels by the fashion industry and the international press.
Fela Anikulapo Kuti would be remembered for songs like: Shakara Oloje, Water no get enemy, Teacher Don’t Teach Me Nonsense, Pansa Pansa, Yellow Fever and many others.
