Accra celebrates Fela

The event will be held at the Alliance Francaise Accra and is being arranged to celebrate ‘the great influence of Fela Kuti on Ghanaian music and music at large’. According to the organisers, the evening ‘will shed light in the greatest Afrobeat artist of all time.’

Felabration in Accra, which is approved by the Felabration Organising Committee (FOC) in Lagos, comes as product of an idea by Ebo Taylor, a friend of the late Fela. Taylor will be performing. As will Ambolley, Kyekyeku, Villy & the Xtreme Volumes and Yaa Yaa Kankam.

As a sidebar an exhibition tagged ‘Buy Africa’ opens on the day of the concert and closes 8 November. A celebration of a collection of posters of Felabration, ‘Buy Africa’ is curated by Joseph-Oduro Frimpong from Ghana's Ashesi University.

A statement from the organisers says, 'The exhibition aims to call attention to aspects of Fela’s life and music that is worth emulating, that is: to boldly name and shame our political leaders and their cronies whose corrupt practices rob ordinary citizens of a decent life. Furthermore, through the phrase “Buy Africa” which draws from the title of one of Fela’s songs, the exhibition encourages us, in spite of being global citizens, to tone down our appetite for foreign goods and patronize made-in-Africa goods. Here, the goal is to help boost our economy and begin the path of self-sustaining it.’

Gate fee for the concert is set at 20 Ghc ($5) for non-students of Alliance Francaise and 10 Ghc ($3) for students and members of the institution.

Felabration Ghana and the Buy Africa exhibition begin 17 October. Time is 8pm