“ZOMBIE”BY FELA RANSOME KUTI

HISTORICAL CONTEXT• Fela became popular in the 70s in Nigeria

• 1970: end of the Civil War in Nigeria (the Biafra War)

• This led to a military Dictatorship under Yakubu Gowon and military expansion to prevent another civil war

• Corruption in the government due to increasing oil business in Nigeria

THE MUSIC • “Zombie” was released in 1976 in response to the abusive

and terrorist military regime

• Fela was born in Nigeria but classically trained at the Trinity College in London

• “Afro-Beat”: mixture of traditional Nigerian music with modern sounds like jazz and blues

• A form of indigenization • Double edged sword: it resonates with multiple cultures

and is seen as interesting and innovative to some but to others it takes something familiar and distorts it so it is seen as shocking

THE MUSIC • Defining feature of Fela music is a long 8 to 10 minute

instrumental

• Used so that the audience can become immersed in the music

• Used for dancing (like in the 1971 performance) • Or for talking: in a Paris performance in 1984

• Lyrics

• Both in English and in Yoruba • “joro jara joro” meaning mindlessness • Imperative: “Go and Kill! Go and Die!” • Zombie metaphor

RESPONSES • Album was exclusive to the markets–not sold in

traditional record stores because the government banded it to be sold publically or played on the radio

• Children mocking soldiers in the streets

• Burning a police motorcycle after an argument about a traffic violation

• Generational Gap: Fela’s lifestyle endorsed illicit activities (from drug use to violent activism)

• However his goal was to create rebellion, so his lifestyle does not contradict his message

OUTCOME • 1979: regime change to an American-style Republican

Democracy

• Fela still continued to write political songs about the conditions of the poor urban living conditions in Nigeria (like Water No Get Enemy)

• Police force is still corrupt in Nigeria so his music still resonates with the population

OUTCOME • Broadway Show Fela! 2000-2007

• Beast of No Nation October 16, 2015 on Netflix