By Hassan Biodun Suleiman
The afrobeat music genre has continued to spread like ‘fire’ across the world, competing with other musical genres like soukous, reggae, hip hop, jazz and rhumba, apala, juju, sakara, highlife and even fuji. In Europe, Latin America, North America and Asia, youths and other musical events organizers now invite Nigerian afrobeat musicians such as Burna Boy, Davido, Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Yemi Alade, Rema and Asake to grace their fiestas. The afrobeat music is globally acclaimed to have been founded by Fela Anikulapo Kuti, who was popular with his Egypt ’80 band.
Fela, son of a clergyman and social activist mother, Funmilayo Kuti, used his lyrics to draw the attention of government to the wrongdoings of the then military regimes, especially in the areas of corruption, nepotism, mismanagement of public resources, tribalism, foreign policy, manipulation and violence in election campaigns in the 1970s and 80s.
The height of his ‘collision’ with military governments was the setting on fire of Kalakuta Republic, the official residence of Fela and his Egypt ’80 band. It was in this period that Fela’s mother was thrown through the window, which led to her death. Rather than be deterred, Fela remained vocal against military rule. Many of his tracks such as Zombie, Argument, ITT and Democracy were composed with a view to exposing the rot in successive military administrations.
By the time he died on August 2, 1997, Fela’s musical prowess had spread throughout the west, east, north and even the southern hemisphere of Africa. Many afrobeat musicians outside Nigeria now refer to Fela as their music legend and mentor.
Since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999, afrobeat has been taken to a greater heights. More Nigerian youths have embraced music as a vocation. The emergence of Mavin Records headed, by Don Jazzy, in the Nigerian musical industry brought to the fore artistes such as D’banj, Wande Cole, Tiwa Savage, Brymo and others, who took keen interest in afrobeat, won many awards and have given hope to more Nigerian youths.
Nigerian artistes such as P-Square, Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage and even Yemi Alade have been in the forefront spreading the ‘evangelism’ of afrobeat around the world. Nigeria’s afrobeat is now competing well and fine with other musical genres. Burna Boy, for instance, has won many awards such as the MTV Europe Music Award for the Best African Act, 2022; Grammy Award for the Best Global Music Album, 2021; the Headies Award for Artiste of the Year, 2019; and MTV African Music Award for Video of the Year 2014.
Davido was selected to be among the musicians that graced the closing ceremony of the 2022 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. Kizz Daniel was also among the musicians that performed at the opening of the same football fiesta. Just recently, Rema, Burna Boy and Tems performed at half-time at the National Basketball Association (NBA) show held at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The performance by these Nigerians revealed the level of growth that afrobeat has attained globally. These artistes are also Nigeria’s music ambassadors around the world. Before this time, Burna Boy was a three-time Grammy award nominee. Rema’s “Calm Down” is now a national anthem among youths in Argentina, India, Pakistan, Brazil, Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago.
Tems’ collaboration with Drake on “Wait for You” has enjoyed airtime across airwaves globally. The collaboration, which has a mix of traditional and modern African styles, has indeed portrayed Nigeria as a country with abundant talents.
Nigeria’s afrobeat musicians have been able to display their dexterity, which has won them many accolades and awards. It is high time the government targeted music as one of the viable platforms for promoting Nigeria’s image and diversity around the world. More interesting is the Yoruba language being used as one of the languages of rendering musical lyrics. Now more than ever before, Yoruba language is even spoken in Cuba, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Latin American countries.
I am of the opinion that the Federal Ministry of Arts and Culture should look at the possibility of arriving at a yearly Afrobeat Musical Festival. The fiesta should be held around December, especially during the Christmas and New Year festive season. The festival will, aside from cultural nationalism and renaissance, promote unity in diversity among, not only Nigerians, but also among music lovers and enthusiasts all over the World. Nigeria is indeed a force in global music now.
•Suleiman, PhD. Is a senior lecturer/sub-dean, Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos; [email protected]
