Felabration: Nigeria’s mind blowing back to back celebration

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Felabration 2018 themed Overtaking overtake (A Fela song title) doubling also as the 80th posthumous birthday of the legendary Fela Anikulapo Kuti, (15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997) – Nigerian multi-instrumentalist, musician, composer, pioneer of the Afrobeat music genre and human rights activist. He has been called “superstar, singer, musician, Panafricanist, polygamist, mystic, legend.

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Felabration has become a phenomenon that grows exponentially and with every year it keeps getting better,  with a surge in the number of people specifically visiting Lagos for the sole purpose of participating in Nigeria’s week-long party.

Felabration is an annual music festival conceived in 1998 by Yeni Anikulapo-Kuti in memory and celebration of her father Fela Kuti, The one-week-long event which is held annually at the New Afrika Shrine in Ikeja , and Freedom Park (a memorial and leisure park area in the middle of downtown Lagos in Lagos IslandNigeria which was formerly Her Majesty’s Broad Street Prison attracts visitors from different countries and has thus been considered as an official tourist destination by the Lagos State Government.

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It was an array of music performances more than any Nigerian of this generation or any has ever witnessed.  Femi Kuti, the son of the Afrobeat pioneer inherited his father’s zeal for both music and activism. Femi with the team of the Felabration organizing committee leads a week of almost sleeplessness and massive number of crowd at the Afrika Shrine that becomes a Mecca for music lovers from all around the world including the vice president of Nigeria, Mr Yemi Osinbajo

This year’s event running concurrently with the events at Freedom Park, Lagos Island had Nigerian and International Superstars perform. Tuface Idibia, Davido, Newen Afrobeat (from Santiago Chile), Seun Kuti, Siti and the band from Zanzibar Tanzania, Femi Anikulapo Kuti, Pasuma Wonder, Omawumi, Po Boy (France), Reecardo Banks and many more.

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As expected, the last night of Felabration 2018 witnessed a large turnout of fans, both regular visitors, foreigners and first timers. Femi Kuti alongside the positive force band also entertained the people.

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Fans are looking forward to the magic Felabration 2019 holds as it keeps getting better every year

 

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