"There were flames everywhere. Soldiers with bayoneted rifles were dragging people out into the streets, staggering, naked and bleeding. Nobody knew if Fela was still inside the burning building. Lemi Ghariokwu pauses. For much of our video-call, the 70-year-old artist has joyfully revisited his years as friend and confidant of Fela Anikulapo Kuti, the Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer whose legacy has been celebrated recently by both a high-profile podcast produced by the Obamas and a career-spanning box-set, The Best of the Black President, designed by Ghariokwu."
"His mood darkens, however, as he recalls the authorities' assault on Kuti's Lagos HQ, the Kalakuta Republic, on 18 February 1977. For years, tensions had simmered between Kuti and Nigeria's military junta, as the singer/bandleader chronicled injustice and corruption on records including Zombie, Expensive Shit and No Agreement. But the razing of Kalakuta marked a tragic inflection point in Kuti's struggle against the government. It also initiated the unravelling of his friendship with Ghariokwu."
Lemi Ghariokwu, a Nigerian artist, vividly recalls his friendship with Fela Anikulapo Kuti and the creative work designing album sleeves. Ghariokwu first entered Kalakuta Republic at age 18 after a portrait of Bruce Lee attracted attention. Kalakuta, gifted to Fela by his mother Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, functioned as a commune with a studio and swimming pool and attracted young followers. Tensions between Fela and Nigeria's military junta culminated on 18 February 1977 when authorities attacked and razed Kalakuta. The assault caused casualties, destroyed the building, and marked a turning point that strained Fela's relationships, including with Ghariokwu.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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