Customer Reviews

Fela Kuti: Music Is The Weapon

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This film does a great job at capturing the socio-political backround behind Fela's message and movement. If you're expecting lot's of concert footage, more insight into Fela personally, or even a balanced unbiased look at the legend (for example, Nigerians famous and non-famous offering their insight on him), it definitely falls short... the film is more about Fela and his bid for the presidency of Nigeria.- - but what makes it worth the purchase is getting to step inside the Africa Shrine and Kalakuta Republic and see Fela in action on his home turf, to get to hear him expressing his beliefs candidly - - as well as the political realities behind the message in his music.

Containing both the French and American version, I like the French version better, as it focuses more on Fela and his music and message, whereas the American version seems to go as far as possible in capturing the poverty and squalor of Lagos. - - Incidentally, if you remember the BLUES-mobile from the BLUES BROTHERS, wait until you see Fela's own VW version...

Nigerian musician and activist Fela Kuti can be a perplexing figure. While his passion, activism, and musicianship are inspiring, his chauvinism, narcissism, and anarchism may not sit well with the modern western observer. However, the 1982 documentary Music is the Weapon by Stephane Tchal-Gadjieff sets the stage for a greater understanding of the time and place that Fela found himself, thereby giving the outside observer a better appreciation of the space in which the man created his political and musical identity.

The film's aim is not biographic. Although the first ten of its fifty minutes is spent on discussing Fela's beginnings as the child of a middle-class Yoruba family as well as his travels to England and the US, his life is described within the context of the relevant histories of those places. As much, if not more, is said about Martin Luther King, the assassination of Kennedy, and the Biafra war than is said about specific events in Fela's life. Approaching his life story from this standpoint serves to outline the influences on his emerging political philosophy quickly and effectively, but tends to downplay his musical growth and influences.

Place is described from the global down to the local. Nigeria is described in the context of Africa, and the city of Lagos is described in the context of Nigeria. In conjunction with the previous history of the Biafra war, the images and descriptions of Lagos are particularly effective in conveying the political climate of the city. The brutality and poverty of this city is palpable, especially with Fela's music and lyrics as the backdrop. Finally the sphere tightens onto The Shrine, his nightclub, and we are treated to fantastic footage of him playing and preaching here to a diverse cross-section of the Nigerian public.

After the time and place are set, we follow Fela home to Kalukuta, which is a nearby suburb that he has transformed into what could only be called a temporary autonomous zone. About 100 people lived there: his 15 wives, his musicians, and his bodyguards. Kalukuta was a self-proclaimed republic, and there he was viewed as a tribal chief. Here, we begin to look the metaphors that make up his politics and, consequently, his music.

It must be understood that Fela longed for a return to tribal Africa. He viewed both Christianity and Islam as non-African, so his nightclub was a Shrine not just in name, but in function. Monogamous marriage was an affectation of the West, so he married 27 women (apparently 12 left him before the time of filming). He viewed musicianship as a gift from the Gods, to be used for the good of mankind. People who misuse it will "die young". Fela attributed his youthful appearance and energy to this philosophy.

Once we get an idea of Fela's space, we take a step back and see his place in the national level. He had serious interest in running for Nigerian presidency, but was opposed by the incumbent system. The Nigerian government's reaction to this resulted in several attempts to discourage and discredit him, not the least of which was the invasion of Kalukuta by Nigerian police on two occasions. The first resulted in the death of his mother. The second (which occurred at the time of filming), resulted in imprisonment and torture.

To describe Fela as a musician without taking into consideration his political philosophy is to sell him short. Fela viewed music as a gift to be used for the good of mankind. With political injustice and human suffering around him, he sharpened the blade on his music and used it, like the title states, as a weapon to at least alleviate, if not ameliorate the means of that suffering. When seen outside of that context, one's initial reactions to Fela's philosophy may be one of surprise. Within it, however, one reaction will most likely be one of admiration.

I had no idea who Fela was. A documentary junkie, I just thought it sounded interesting. That it was.

Fela has been described as an African Bob Marley, father of Afrobeat music. More than that, though, he was politically active and a threat to the establishment. This is what makes him so much more interesting than just a musician.

Born in Africa, given a Western educated by Anglicized parents, having lived in America during the Watts riots and greatly influenced by Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, Fela returned to Africa with a new purpose.

While his music is what he is mostly known for, his political activity is what is captivating. The documentary puts his life in a large political context, that of Nigeria during the 70s and early 80s, when this documentary was filmed. We get to see the inner workings of the Nigerian government through his eyes. It provides the backdrop for his life at this time.

Part musician, part politician, part prophet, Fela is an intriguing character. Perhaps what is most relevant about this film is how he takes the influence of Westernized ideas - musically and ideologically - and applies them to the problems he returned to in Nigeria.

Fela Kuti is, in my opinion, the most significant musician in Nigeria. I was going to say in Africa, but I know that there are other musicians who are also amazing and influencial. There's not a lot about the origin of his music, but it's very political, social, historical, and cultural. He said some things about women that made me angry when he compared the African man to the European man. It involves polygamy and some other things as well, but it's still a great documentary for people who want to know more about Fela Kuti so I highly recommend it. There are also some live performances and he is being interviewed. Usually, he sings in pidgin English (a sub-standard English we speak in Nigeria). So it is quite surprising that he speaks English articulately. I mean to say that people who are used to hearing him speak and sing in pidgin English (like people who didn't go to school) will be shocked to hear him speak regular English. This was originally shot in the 1980s. I also recommend Fela! Vol.1&2 Super Hit Video if you can find it. There are lots of interviews, performances (from Seun and Femi--his sons--as well), and clips of the Fela broadway play.

This film is one of the best of french DP/film make Jean Jacques Flori.
And this is definitely the best film on Fela.

MUSIC IS THE WEAPON is a 1982 documentary describing the trials and tribulations of Fela Kuti, the Nigerian musician and human rights activist who never stopped calling for an end to corruption in spite of beatings and imprisonment. The context of the film is Fela's hopes for the 1983 presidential election, which subsequently came to naught when the government refused to recognize his candidacy.

The documentary covers all the main points of Fela's political life and philosophy. We see him railing against the Nigerian government, calling it worse than that of South Africa because in his country blacks were oppressing blacks. The events of 1977 are recounted, a 15-hour siege when soldiers killed his mother, raped his wives, and arsoned his home. Fela's discusses his ideas of a return to African roots, explains why he has restored a tradition of polygamy to his family, and deplores both capitalism and Marxism as inappropriate for creating a distinctly African society. Fela throughout seems like a man of boundless energy, and the viewer will be amazed at how well he has held up in spite of his many beatings (scars of which are left all over his body). Now, of course, we know that over the next decade he was going to become increasingly seclusive, and ultimately succumb to AIDS, which gives the film a poignant tone.

The weakness of the film is that it deals very little with Fela's music itself. I would have liked to see Fela talking about creating the afrobeat genres, his experiences in the US in the late 1960s, and his early work in highlife. There is plenty of footage of performances, but no complete songs, and the audio quality isn't too hot. Plus, the documentary is all in all just 53 minutes long. All in all, it would probably be best to get the documentary as part of the Music Is the Weapon: The Best of Fela Kuti set of 2 CDs and a DVD.