50 Shades of Fela: Showcasing different sides to the Afrobeat legend in Lagos

By Nehru Odeh

Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo Kuti was indeed a maverick. Not only was it difficult to get a handle on him, he resisted throughout his life every attempt to put him in a box. That resistance also informed his rebellious spirit, his radicalism and his fight for the betterment of the masses.

Twenty-seven years after his death, Fela’s intriguing story remains more captivating. While many view him as a genius, others see him through the prism of his unconventional lifestyle. Still others perceive him as a radical who fought for good governance and the betterment of the masses.

However, Fela is more than all of these put together. The Afrobeat Rebellion Exhibition, which opens from October 12 through December 28, 2025 at the Ecobank Pan African Centre, Lagos, offers Nigerians a rare opportunity to see not just the different sides to the maverick fondly called Abami Eda but also his natal origin, what made him tick and why 27 years after his transition, he still remains a talking point.

The exhibition, which spans 12 weeks of programming, is indeed a full package. One gets to see the different aspects of Fela’s life, his music, his iconoclastic lifestyle, his rebellious spirit, and his humanity, to mention a few. Nothing about Fela’s larger-than-life persona is left out. Even little details such as his family and ancestral history, periodic images of Lagos, his daily life in Kalakuta republic, the queens, the historical garments he wore, even his underwears, his musical instruments, albums, newspaper reports and archival materials are all on display.

The exhibition also includes aspects such as The Talks, Kalakuta Cinema, Young Rebels’ Corner, and live performances by Femi and Made Kuti, among others. General admission into the exhibition is free and open Fridays to Sundays (10:00 AM – 6:00 PM), with Thursdays reserved for VIP and institutional visits, while RSVPs are required for talks, workshops, book readings, and cinema screenings due to limited capacity. Ticketing is available via Luma.

“For the first time probably in the history of exhibitions in Nigeria, we have a three-month program. So, our partners at Ecobank have been generous enough to give us this space for three months. And during those months, we’re going to have fortnightly concerts, talks, programs for children, spoken word competitions, and also opportunities for people to learn.

“So, during this whole process, we trained scenographers to teach them how to design exhibitions. We’ve been working with people who want to do audiovisuals, learn how to do audiovisuals that are specific to art exhibitions. So, we’ve really been thinking about how this opportunity creates capacity and new ways of knowledge for the next generation,” Papa Omotayo, founder of the A Whitespace Creative Arts Foundation, told journalists while taking them on a tour of the exhibition.

The exhibition is being organized by A Whitespace Creative Arts (AWCA) Foundation, in collaboration with the French Embassy in Nigeria, the Kuti family, and the Philharmonie de Paris, and it honors Fela’s life, music, and activism in the city that birthed Afrobeat.

However, the opening night on Sunday, 12 October drew artists, diplomats, cultural leaders, and Fela’s family. They all gathered under one roof to celebrate the Abami Eda’s enduring spirit. Hosted by Folu Storms, the evening featured performances by Ezra Collective and Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, alongside goodwill remarks from Laurent Favier, French Ambassador to Nigeria, and a representative of the Lagos State Governor. The symbolic ribbon-cutting officially declared the exhibition open, led by members of the Kuti family, Ecobank representatives, and the Lagos State Government.

Inside the halls, guests explored a powerful, multi-sensory journey through Fela’s world; from rare recordings and archival photography to immersive reconstructions of Kalakuta and the Afrika Shrine. And the night ended in true Fela fashion, with rhythm, movement, and communion, as the crowd danced and toasted to the resilience of Afrobeat.

Seun Alli, founder of JCAA and curator of the exhibition, said the three-month long exhibition aims to reposition Fela and make people see his different sides and broaden their perception.

“Too often, Fela is reduced to a handful of catchphrases and uninformed stories – Zombie, Water No Get Enemy, the Kalakuta fire, marrying 27 women, or even the unfounded claim that he performed on stage in his underwear.

“Curating Afrobeat Rebellion in Lagos is a deliberate refusal of this flattening. It aims to reposition Fela not merely as a musician or rebel, but as a public intellectual whose music and philosophy are deeply intertwined with Africa’s social, political, and intellectual histories.

“His work was never just style or spectacle; it was a catalyst of revolt and hope, the soundtrack for those living under oppression, corruption, and the daily failures of power. Nearly three decades after his passing, it remains a profound mystery how Abami Eda’s philosophy continues to resonate so powerfully across all facets of our shared human experience,” Alli noted.

Still, an interesting thing about the Afrobeat Rebellion Exhibition is that a similar exhibition on Fela was held in Paris in 1922. And not only is this the first time it is being organized in Lagos, it is on a much bigger scale than the one in Paris. And the fact that the exhibition has been held in France and Nigeria speaks volumes about the cultural ties between both countries.

Laurent Favier, who represented the French Embassy, for his part, said: “Supporting the Afrobeat Rebellion in Lagos reflects our belief that culture is a bridge. It is a logical and welcome follow-up to the successful exhibition in Paris. This project is both a celebration of Franco-Nigerian collaboration and a cultural gift, honoring Fela’s legacy – who was very appreciated in France – while deepening the dialogue between our two nations.”

However, Omotayo, for his part said: “As you can see, the exhibition is broken into about ten sections, starting with his early life, which you get some sense of Fela’s family and ancestral history, and it sort of brings you into the next area, which is Lagos, maybe, which is really just to impress the context of Lagos and how critical Lagos was in not just Fela’s music, but also in his legacy.

“You think about the shrine, the people, but Fela was ultimately a political, rebellious musician that was situated in Lagos, and his response and his music has that Lagos energy that has passed through many generations. And you see so many people in Afrobeats now sort of taking on that legacy.”

Asked how long it took the organizers to put the exhibition together, Omotayo said: “There are hundreds of people that were involved in putting this exhibition together. And we’ve all been working on this for over one year. And so, this is a culmination of it.”

What then can Nigerians gain from the exhibition? “I think for me, personally, it’s the idea that there is always another way, and the importance of resistance. You must resist. If you feel that you do not like something that is happening, you must resist. And I think it’s important for the next generation to understand that resistance is the power that they have to make change and create any world that they want. And I think Fela represents that. And their voice is powerful,” Omotayo maintained.