ABSTRACT
Throughout history, music has been used to convey social, political and cultural messages. There are many examples of songs from different cultures that communicate people’s outrage at social injustices. Fela Kuti was a Nigerian musician whose defiant messages resonated with audiences in his country, throughout the African continent and across the globe. He came to represent militant opposition to state oppression. Fela Kuti is considered to be “Nigeria’s greatest and most influential musician”. He was born into an elite family and enjoyed huge success across the African continent and beyond. Kuti was outspoken about corruption in Nigerian politics (a legacy of British colonial rule), which created extreme poverty and inequality in the country. Throughout his illustrious career, Kuti wrote and performed politicised songs that openly criticised the Nigerian state and its institutions (especially the military and the police), and the governments of other exploitative, conservative nations, including the UK.
