Afrobeats Legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Still Unforgettable 28 Years After Death

By Oyedeyi Habeeebah/ Posted August 5, 2025.

The second day of the month of August is a time of soul-wrenching moment for Afrobeats music lovers to reminisce on the life and times of their electro-magnetic idol, Fela Anikulapo Kuti. who passed away exactly 28 years ago in 1997. While alive, Fela, as he was fondly called by his millions of fans and foes, alike, he carved a special niche for himself by his genre of music where he laced messages of hope for the common masses with frontal advocacy calling out the government’s attitude to issues of preponderant nature that affects the generality of the people.

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For many loyal worshippers at his court, ‘Kalakuta African Shrine’, the musical headquarters of Fela’s movement, he is seen more than a musician but also, as a cultural revolutionary whose voice thundered against oppression, injustice, and the failures of society.

Fela’s name continues to resonate across generations, not just for the electrifying rhythms of his Afrobeat music, but for the boldness he displayed in speaking of perceived inequities by those in power. His creative genre is a robust exercise in political commentary rooted in African identity and it has remained strikingly relevant till date, as its essence echoes through protests, classrooms and global stages today. His fearless critique of military dictatorship and corruption in Nigeria made him both a hero to the people and a target of the state yet he never backed down.

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His name “Anikulapo,” meaning “he who carries death in his pouch,” indeed symbolic because it defined his lifelong fights anywhere he saw injustice. For Fela, the name meant that neither death nor authority could define his destiny or silence his voice. And in many ways, his influence proved evergreen.

Some of his children like Femi Kuti, Seun Kuti, and Yeni Kuti have carried on his legacy in their own ways, not only through music but also through cultural preservation, social advocacy, and events like Felabration, which has become an annual festival held in his honour. Through them, and other related initiatives, Fela’s torch of musical advocacy continues to burn brightly, globe-wide.

Fela Kuti’s story is one of music, yes but more so, it is a story of resistance, heritage, and timeless relevance. Even in death, his name is revered, studied and celebrated.

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Popular axiom says, ‘Legends don’t die’. In Fela, despite physical death, many people have come to find camaraderie and identify with his expressive spirit of a musical genre that fiercely deconstructs the façade of people in positions of authority who treat time as eternity.