http://jasperjonesradio.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/funkus-afrikanus/

It is true that a lot of the problems are there because of corruption and incompetence by the ruling elite, but it is short-sighted to stop there when the ruling elite still have masters they answer to. We need to acknowledge and stress that those military rulers and ruling elite are people that the former colonial powers support, prop up and endorse wholesale because it is beneficial to them and their interests to have fools running the show. This is a problem not just in Nigeria, but all over Africa. The last thing the former colonial powers want is a competent African leader who will rule fairly and justly, because that would signal the end of their exploitation of mineral wealth. This is why almost every leader that fit that description, or had a rallying cry of ending corruption and influence/involvement from former colonial rulers has been promptly assassinated in western sponsored coups. From Patrice Lumumba to Thomas Sankara.

All these problems can be traced back directly to colonialism, and exploitation by colonial rulers via usurping natural resources and yes, racism is also a big part of it. So it wasn’t just Fela’s conviction that somehow “racism” was a big problem. It was, and still is. The ethnic conflicts that continues to this day to be a major problem in Nigeria, and claims the lives of many every year is completely the fault of Nigeria’s colonial legacy, and that was done intentionally by the British. Click here for a short read on the subject to gain proper context and understanding. http://atane.tumblr.com/post/9961556452/mybutbeautiful-confessions-of-a-semi

Part of the reason why Fela stopped singing in his native Yoruba, and started singing in Nigerian Pidgin was because Pidgin was the lingua franca of all Nigerians, regardless of their native tongue. All West Africans could understand him, not just Nigerians. If he sang in Yoruba, only Yoruba people would understand. He wanted all Nigerians to hear his message. It’s no surprise that he then became a threat.

Fela’s criticisms were about the incompetent leaders, corruption, western exploitation and “colonial mentality”. A mentality that many of the ruling elites have. He wrote many songs about that, including a song in fact titled Colonial Mentality, lambasting said ruling elites for being a proxy for the colonial powers. That was his message, and that is the message of Afrobeat. Nigeria didn’t even gain independence from England until 1960, so a lot of these wounds are still fresh. The Biafra War later on is still fresh. As someone who is half Igbo, a lot of my people paid the price. My mother can’t talk about it without getting emotional.

Right now, companies like BP, Shell, Chevron are wrecking havoc all over the Niger Delta. They have looted, plundered, exploited and done irreparable damage. They can do that with little accountability because of colonial mentality. Oil Spills larger than the one that hit the US Gulf region are common place. Anyone who speaks up against it is quickly assassinated, for example Ken Saro-Wiwa. The government does the bidding for western interest, and anyone who goes against that is taken out. That’s what Fela means by Colonial Mentality. The criticism isn’t just at the feet of the rulers, but their masters as well.

Artifacts are stolen, and will never be repatriated because of colonial mentality. This causes problems. One example are the Benin Bronzes. Click the link http://atane.tumblr.com/post/11995069429/benin-bronzes

With regards to Tony Allen, I think it’s unfair to characterize him as someone without the “political baggage”. Certainly, he wasn’t the outspoken critic Fela was (who is?), nor was he the target Fela was. However, to play afrobeat is to make a political statement, and with that comes baggage. His groups like The Afro Messengers tackled sociopolitical issues openly. Mr. Allen diverged and incorporated many other styles of music into his playing in later years, and with that came fewer political messages, but whenever he comes back to afrobeat, the music is political. Now, whether people are aware of that is another matter altogether.

Cheers,
Atane

However, many jazz musicians did combine various styles of African music in their playing. It’s something I will post more about over the next few days. This type of music simply doesn’t get the coverage it deserves, back in the 60s and 70s, and today.

I have a lot of African music of more mainstream tradition I used to listen to – Francophone, griot and like, Salif Keita, Habib Koite, Djelimady Tounkara,Thione Seck, Ismael Lo, Cheick Lo, Baaba Maal, Fela Kuti- to name just a few! So I guess I can say I have some grounding in African music tradition, and they are not jazzy like this.

Very in the mould of Ornette, though as you say, a distinctive voice. One to follow up.