27 years after his dying, Fela isn’t simply being remembered; he’s being reimagined.
On October 12, 2025, Lagos turned residence once more to Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s spirit. Not as a distant reminiscence, however as a dwelling, respiratory exhibition titled ‘Afrobeat Rebellion.’ The occasion opened on the Ecobank Pan African Centre, an expanded reimagining of the unique 2022 show on the Philharmonie de Paris.
Ten exhibition rooms, weekly dwell packages, workshops, movie screenings, talks, music, and enjoyable interactive periods. This isn’t only a gallery of relics. It’s a multi-sensory, community-anchored cultural season.
“They need to really feel the way it breathes in the present day…”
Papa Omotayo, the founding father of A Whitespace Artistic Company (AWCA), who’s a number one a part of the exhibition, described how Lagos wanted greater than a “copy-paste” of the Paris version. He shared that the objective was to stretch the exhibition into three months of cultural activation. “We’ve got concert events, talks, packages for kids … we practice scenographers, educate audiovisual design particular to exhibitions.”
He mapped out the ten sections: Early Life, Lagos Child, Day by day Life, Kalakuta Republic, Queens, Shrine, and mirrored rooms the place previous Shrine and new Shrine visuals sit aspect by aspect. There are archival clothes, devices, uncommon prints — and contained in the Queens part, a connecting thread between Fela’s wives and modern Nigerian ladies in insurgent areas.
“We didn’t need individuals simply wanting backwards. They need to really feel the way it breathes in the present day,” he stated.
He intends to push Lagos to see Fela not as a museum piece, however as a motion that lives on.
What Yeni Kuti Mentioned
Strolling into the corridor together with her trademark regal poise, Yeni described this model of tribute as extra becoming. “Artwork is acceptable. We’ve at all times included artwork in Felabration over time. This time, it’s the first automobile.”
She emphasised that Fela’s message was not nearly resistance however emancipation: freedom from colonial mentalities, dangerous governance, and silence. For Yeni, this exhibition should provoke thought, not simply consolation nostalgia.
Fela Comes Residence
On the pink carpet, Laurent Favier (Consulate Common of France in Nigeria) burdened that this exhibition is each cultural diplomacy and a reclaiming. He famous lengthy collaboration with the Kuti household, Ecobank, and the Paris Philharmonie and framed the present as a “message of hope” for Africa and the world.
He identified that bringing Afrobeat Rise up to Lagos is a pure return. France helped launch it overseas, however Nigeria should now home its personal narrative.
How It Feels to Be There
I spoke with Halima, an attendee. For her, it is an honour to be on the exhibition. What struck her most was the images within the Queens part, spotlighting Fela’s dancers and their impression on his legacy.
For her, “they’re underrepresented — seen simply as Fela’s dancers, like they weren’t anything.”
Total, she described her expertise on the exhibition on opening evening as particular. It helps her “take up every little thing directly.”
Her takeaway from the exhibition and Fela’s life:
“Be your self … that may be your first step to constructing a legacy”
Strolling via these rooms together with her and others experiencing the exhibition, you’re feeling layers — his childhood, residence, music, and message.
Fela’s artwork was by no means closed. It stays open and shared.
That is why you ought to be at this exhibition. It provides you a glimpse of Fela, a perpetual drive, his concepts, politics, and his music. Right here, the previous is woven into the current Lagos.
From October 12 to December 28, 2025, Afrobeat Rise up is open Fridays to Sundays (10:00 AM–6:00 PM) on the Ecobank Pan African Centre. RSVP is required for talks, workshops, and movie screenings; normal entry is free.
