I Am Sean Bell. Perched atop a heap of child-sized coffins, these white hand-painted words etched on an upright casket permeated eerily throughout the theatre. Concluding two hours of eclectic storytelling, explosive dances and the captivatingly rhythmic euphony of Afro-beat, it’s the hometown reference of the 2006 brutal NYPD shooting of unarmed, African-American, groom-to-be Sean Bell that reminds us that music serves not only for people to dance, but also for people to think. Music exists not only as our sociocultural storyteller, but also as a communicative tool with global reach. Herein lies the power of music, the core of Fela’s legacy.
Directed and choreographed by Bill T. Jones, Fela! made its Broadway debut earlier this month. It details the life and influence of Nigerian musician, producer, Afro-beat inventor and political radical outlaw, Fela Anikulapo Kuti. His music was critical, but so was everything during the mid 20th century. Fela provided the soundtrack to the Third World post-colonial distress and the acme of a United States racial apartheid that plagued this era in global history. From it he created Afrobeat, a fusion of Nigerian dance and rhythm, Cuban congas and American jazz and funk. Its gripping eclecticism was a force that explicitly criticize governmental corruption not just in Nigeria, but of all oppressive systems worldwide. But beyond political criticism, Fela’s music was his voice. Through it one can charter Fela’s own political and personal journey as he negotiated between his hometown traditions with global influences. In the play, as was also true of Fela’s life, music highlighted pivotal moments where Fela began to make sense of his experiences which eventually culminated to his fervency against injustice.
By and large, this play is about communication, both in its method and articulation of Fela’s message. What was once the Eugene O’Neill theatre became Fela’s “Shrine” nightclub. And what could have been vapid spectatorial audience became a dancing, “Yeyeh” screaming ensemble, cast in this play of Fela’s life. Fela! is a multidimensional, mixed-media theatrical performance that successfully incorporates as many elements as Fela did in his music. In addition to the captivating dance and musical numbers, there was video footage throughout the play, at times synchronous to the live performances. Also projected were the occasional subtitles, roughly translating Fela’s rap-paced pigeon English. Though this most obviously served to aid those with a conservative ear for the English language, the text acted also as a cast member, emphasizing the significance in Fela’s words.
There is no need to romanticize an era when “music mattered.” Music always matters. Fela’s music, however, reinvigorates the thirst for something more than entertainment. It forced listeners to rethink their ideologies and refocus their epistemological lens. Though the elements are there, one may find it hard to describe Fela! simply as a musical play. It is an experience to be had, to be shared and most critically, to be used as a communicative tool of political engagement, communal celebration and ideological transformation.
