For many music lovers who gathered in the front of the John Randle Centre for Yoruba History and Culture that Friday night, the cute masquerade to watch was Made, who was tickling the stage with compelling horns, bold and loud songs and cracking theatrics.
But for some of us who were not too close to the stage, ours was more than double portion. While we were savouring Made’s robust performance, we had the added blessing of watching Yeni, the eldest child of the late afro beat legend, Fela, spiritedly and marvelously dance to every inch of his nephew’s offering.
In the traditional Yoruba setting, Made is more or less Yeni’s son, being a son of her younger brother, Femi Kuti, the oldest custodian of their father’s afro beat legacy. For Yeni, therefore, the night represented a rite of renewal, continuity, nostalgia and creative rebirth. At a stage-among-the-crowd which she carved for herself by the gate of the Randle Centre, she never missed any slice of the heavy percussion that Made rained on the main stage.
She rolled, swung, curled, curved and unrolled dexterously, dancing with every part of her 63-year-old yet very artistically flexible body. In her that night, the discerning eye could see her father’s living soul just as she too could not hide her delight and fulfilment at how Made, the yesterday’s toddler in the Afrika Shrine, had mastered the afro phenomenon their father bequeathed to the world, which has also bred newer genres that now rule the globe.
Of course, it was not Yeni alone that got dazzled by Made. As she was doing her own in the background, a lot of other people were also dancing and yelling out their hearts on the history-laden Randle soil.
So eager and loaded was Made that he and his band had ensured they arrive the venue well before the 9pm their performance was billed to start. But the show before his — that of Jah Baba from Benin Republic — ate into the schedule, making Made put the record straight that he was not late to the show.
“Let me make it clear that we have been around since waiting for our show to start. I need to say this because I don’t want anyone to have the impression that Made came late tonight,” he said as he sauntered onto the podium.
And he really proved he has come of age. With his command of the horns, intoxicating feel of the beat, the ripeness of the rendition from his handsome lips, the crowd really had a beautiful deal.
His two female dancers too — especially the arguably more vibrant one called Oyindamola — must have made Yeni, who started dancing with Femi’s band in 1986, particularly happier that night because they did justice to the heritage of the fervent, buttocks-waving dance that has, since Fela’s time, been synonymous with afro beat. Yet, Made saw the reason to perform outside the box. He had a male dancer to pollinate the rousing artistry of the two female dancers, just as he gave Lagos some numbers that were not strictly afro.
The performance, indeed, lived up to its billing as one of the star events of the Afropolis 2024, a festival organised and powered by the Lagos State Government, in partnership with popular dancer, Qudus Onikeku, who was the artistic director. The choice of the youngest musician from the Fela’s afro family reinforced the tender character of the festival while it imbued the philosophy behind it with the strong tradition the genre represents.
Apart from Made, the musical concerts featured Keziah Jones, Celia Wa, Fokn Boys, Cef Ashanta, Alibeta, Oba, Dotti the Deiti, among other musicians from different parts of the world. Those also billed for the dance performances included
Katy Streek, Adila Omotoso, Addy Daiel, Mufutau Yusuf, Qdance Company, Qudud Onikeku, and Team Switch.
During the opening ceremony, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had promised participants a very rewarding week and this is exactly what came to pass between the 26 October and 4 November when Afropolis happened. There was a lot of fun, inspiration, cultural and business education, just as many businesses, especially those in fashion and crafts, made money from the crowds that came far and near — including international visitors.
According to the Governor, the celebration of the richness of African culture, arts, creativity, and innovation has become the commitment of the state government.
He said: “This festival has become a unique gathering for us, a melting point of ideas where tradition and modernity converge, where we believe the past made the future.
“This year’s theme, ‘The New Myth,’ is a powerful and timely call for re-imagination, renewal, and a fresh understanding of who we are as Africans and what we aspire to become. The myth that we have inherited from our forebears has been the foundation of our collective identity values and culture. These stories have carried the wisdom of our ancestors, guided our beliefs, and shaped our societies.
“As we open Afropolis Lagos 2024, I encourage everyone to engage fully with the exhibitions, dialogues, and performances that will unfold over the next few days. Let us immerse ourselves in the beauty of our diverse cultures, learn from each other’s perspective, and leave this festival with a renewed sense of purpose and the commitment to creating and crafting new myths that will inspire generations coming behind. Let us write the next chapter of our story, where Africa is the author of its own destiny.’’
On his part, Onikeku, who is also the founder of QDance Centre and initiator of the festival, said the vision of Afropolis coming to fruition was in the power of collaboration which Lagos’s slogan harped on. He noted that participants came from over 11 countries: Senegal, Benin Republic, Colombia, the Netherlands, Cameroon, Ethiopia, UK, Germany, Brazil, France, Lebanon, Canada, Uruguay and the United States.
He said, “We have to learn collaboration. Without collaboration Lagos will never be great. It is not easy because it is not about inclusion. This is our way of making Lagos a local hub for creative energy.”
