Fela: Music Is the Weapon

Jibola Fagbamiye

Book cover for Fela: Music Is the Weapon
Image for variant 9780063058798
Book cover for Fela: Music Is the Weapon
Image for variant 9780063058798

Fela: Music Is the Weapon

Fela: Music Is the Weapon

Jibola Fagbamiye

View full details

Description

A spectacular graphic novel about the life and times of the legendary Fela Kuti--the Pan-African frontman, multi-instrumentalist, sociopolitical powerhouse, and father of Afrobeat.

In this bold and striking graphic novel, artist Jibola Fagbamiye and writer Conor McCreery team up to tell the remarkable origin story of one of Nigeria's most famous sons, the King of Afrobeat, Fela Kuti, who rose to superstardom with his band Africa 70 in the 1970s, during a charged political period for his nation.

A once-in-a-lifetime musical talent who innovated the musical genre Afrobeat, Fela was also an outspoken critic of the Nigerian military regime. Fela focuses on a pivotal moment in his life, when he and his mother Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, the renowned Nigerian suffrage activist, were ruthlessly attacked in their own home by soldiers who suffered no repercussions for their violence. It also explores Fela's complex relationship with women, including his mother and Sandra Izsadore, the American singer and activist who revitalize and inspired him. Over the course of his life, Fela married 27 women, fathered numerous children, and founded the Kalakuta Republic commune, where he and his band lived, declaring themselves independent from military rule.

As rich and original as its subject, Fela complements the historical with the surreal, featuring parallel dream world sequences, set between this realm and the next, in which Fela receives visions about his future and the dangerous path he will have to walk.

Chronicling Fela's perilous journey to capture his destiny--to become the King of Afrobeat, and to advocate for Pan-African unity in the face of European imperialism and white supremacy--this masterful biographical graphic novel celebrates this enduring legend and his legacy, offering inspiration for our own troubled time.

Critical Reviews

"rousing celebration of Fela...[that] blends brisk biographical storytelling with urgent cultural and political history, gorgeous evocations of the power of music and dance, and bursts of bloody violence both factual and fantastical." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Canadian creators Fagbamiye and McCreery candidly and comprehensively portray Fela's powerhouse stature in Nigeria without shying away from showing is flaws." -- Booklist

An excellent look at a larger-than-life musician whose sounds reverberate to this day. -- Kirkus Reviews

Publishing Information

Publisher: Amistad Press
Pub date: 2025-10-07
Length: 384 pages

The Allstora Membership

Membership Perks:

  • Save 30% on all online store purchases
  • Exclusive access to author's content
  • You pay less, but authors still earn double

Membership Terms:

First Month: $0.00
Monthly price: $5.00
  • To access membership discount simply log in and add to cart, discount applied automatically.
  • One month free trial, cancel anytime. Membership renews on the 15th of each month.