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Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti was born into an upper-middle-class Nigerian family in Abeokuta, Ogun State. His family was an active participant in the Pan-African and anti-colonial struggles for independence, human dignity and liberation in Nigeria[iv]. Fela used his music to voice to the general population his opposition to political mal-governance and corruption in Nigeria. As a wide-travelled, foreign-educated individual, living abroad, his international experience was pivotal in the formation of his personal and political consciousness, manifested in a type of music that was highly influenced by jazz and the highlife. Particularly, in the 1960’s, when Fela travelled to North America and discovered the Black Power and Black Panther movements, his music and political views were transformed, radicalised, and his understanding of African music and roots was naturalised. In other words, African music became a tool that expressed and validated African ancient civilisation, its history and its monuments.
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