Fela Kuti is the Most Persecuted Musician in History. He was arrested over 200 times, and appeared in court 356 times for mostly criticising the Nigerian Government.
1,000 soldiers attacked his property in 1977.
He performed on stage in bandages, even after being assaulted.
His commune “Kalakuta Republic” was burned to the ground (Feb 18, 1977) and residents were assaulted; his mother Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was thrown from a window and later died from her injuries.
The Shrine was shut down after the 1977 attack (a direct hit on his livelihood + platform).
After the 1977 raid, he responded politically by delivering his mother’s coffin to military barracks and releasing more anti-regime music (showing the intimidation escalated, not reduced).
Jailed under Buhari’s government on “currency smuggling” charges (1984); Amnesty International denounced the case as politically motivated and treated him as a prisoner of conscience.
Spent about 20 months in prison from that 1984 case before being released under Babangida.
Repeated violent raids/destruction of property and recordings are repeatedly referenced in biographical accounts as a method used to disrupt his work.
In the early 1990s, he and band members were arrested and charged in a high-profile case (1993) (illustrating continued criminalization/harassment late into his career).
His political songs directly naming powerful figures (e.g., the “I.T.T.” allegations) intensified state hostility and surveillance around him.
1,000 soldiers attacked his property in 1977.
He performed on stage in bandages, even after being assaulted.
His commune “Kalakuta Republic” was burned to the ground (Feb 18, 1977) and residents were assaulted; his mother Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was thrown from a window and later died from her injuries.
The Shrine was shut down after the 1977 attack (a direct hit on his livelihood + platform).
After the 1977 raid, he responded politically by delivering his mother’s coffin to military barracks and releasing more anti-regime music (showing the intimidation escalated, not reduced).
Jailed under Buhari’s government on “currency smuggling” charges (1984); Amnesty International denounced the case as politically motivated and treated him as a prisoner of conscience.
Spent about 20 months in prison from that 1984 case before being released under Babangida.
Repeated violent raids/destruction of property and recordings are repeatedly referenced in biographical accounts as a method used to disrupt his work.
In the early 1990s, he and band members were arrested and charged in a high-profile case (1993) (illustrating continued criminalization/harassment late into his career).
His political songs directly naming powerful figures (e.g., the “I.T.T.” allegations) intensified state hostility and surveillance around him.
