KA – LA – KU! KA-LA-KU-TA! You don’t need to love Fela’s Kalakuta Museum!

Like writing slates on the walls of a village nursery school, hundreds of ancient photos and newspaper pages tile the walls of his rooms and stairwell…

And like treasures of diamond hidden in a secret cave, Fela’s clothes, musical instruments and shoes are kept intact in their original positions at his old house- now refurbished and called  the new Kalakuta Museum… reincarnating the life and times of the brave and ingenious man-
the real Fela Anikulapo-Kuti himself.

 

“I want to tell you a story…. n …Coolu story o! …I want to tell you a story n… no be story o”  …

Fela’s music filtered through the walls of the three story building as if the walls, floors and deckings were perforated. The music was needed. A tour of the museum without his lyrics reverberating at the background wouldn’t be a complete experience. I spent a little time taking photos of the entrance and surrounding of the building, so my tour group members had gone in ahead of me. I rushed into the building and up the first flight of stairs to the first floor.

A transparent glass wall laid along the corridor. It showcased Fela’s bedroom- all set the way it was when he was alive. Beetles danced in my belly, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It all looked so real! His beautiful black saxophone hung on a stand near the centre of the room, three award trophies stood just behind the glass; I could recognize one of them- MTV Base Music award. He had many clothes, some were hung on wooden racks in rows, and others lay piled up in a big red Ghana must go. The room is dabbed in lively colours, walls in orange, curtains in white with patterns of blue and red and orange, cream rugs, black and red-patterned leather cushions, and multi-coloured bed sheet with pillows of matching covers.

My group members had entered a nearby room. The room is small and filled up with people and artifacts. I stretched my neck to take peep. Three multi-coloured panties popped at my eyes. They looked awkward, yet amusing. I couldn’t hold back the laughter. Fela used multi-coloured pants! It reminded me of my three and four-year old nephews, running up and down the house in the hot noon with their multi-coloured and cartoon patterned panties dangling on their small buttocks. I started laughing again. Like bunches of ripe plantain hung on the wall of a roadside stall, Fela’s shoes were hung in neat rows on the walls of the room. Most of them were made of Ofi material. They resembled the plimsol shoes trending in our present day. Although he was regarded as a recusant during his days, it appears Fela was indeed a creative and fashion-forward man.

Two black-skinned manikins stood at the corner of the room. They wore Fela’s clothes- one was a beautiful and creatively styled shorts and pants, and the other was his thick woolen jacket. Another saxophone sat on the floor. A door leads from the room into Fela’s bathroom and toilet. It had been walled on one of its sides with a thick glass so that visitors could have a good view without entering. His metallic dry cell torchlight and bucket stood on the floor just beside the water closet and his big hair brush laid on the washing hand basin.

Each room in the building has things to show from Fela’s life. They all told the true stories of the great music legend. We moved from room to room, guided by Fela’s first born and first daughter, Omoyeni Kuti. She is amazing! She spoke with passion, exuding the boldness and confidence her dad demonstrated when he was alive. From one floor to another, she led us… through sky-lit stairwell, with its blue dampalon roofing casting a cool tone on the myriads of ancient photos arranged in neat patterns along the walls of the stairwell. It was a climb through the past.

The open rooftop of the museum offered an awe-inspiring panoramic view of the surrounding streets. The setting sun winked a good-bye to us as we chatted heartily with Omoyeni about Lagos and its nightlife, recalling our exhilarating experience at Fela’s Shrine the previous Friday night.

You really don’t have to love Kalakuta Museum, you don’t even have to like Fela Anikulapo himself… just pay a visit to Kalakuta Museum and you’ll be set ablaze with an admiration for the values Fela upheld during his life time. He stood against corruption, he upheld the cultural and moral values of our African forefathers and fought selflessly for the freedom of the common African man.

I just told you a story…my own story! What’s your own story?

Kalakuta Museum is located at No. 7, Gbemisola Street, Ikeja, Lagos.

 

Related Posts:

The Fela’s Shrine you don’t see!

 

– Old Fela’s House (Source: www.ayenithegreat.wordpress.com)

 

– The new kalakuta Museum

– The tallest drum in the world, unveiled during Black History month on 18th February, 2013.

 

…guided by Fela’s first born and first daughter, Omoyeni Kuti (in blue Adire top and head tie). She is amazing! She spoke with passion, exuding the boldness and confidence her dad demonstrated when he was alive.

 

– Fela’s colourful room – all set the way it was when he was alive.

 

 

 

– Three award trophies stood just behind the glass; I could recognize one of them- MTV Base Music award.

…I stretched my neck to take peep. Three multi-coloured panties popped at my eyes. They looked awkward, yet amusing. I couldn’t hold back the laughter. Fela used multi-coloured pants! It reminded me of my three and four-year old nephews, running up and down the house in the hot noon with their multi-coloured and cartoon patterned panties dangling on their small buttocks.

– Like bunches of ripe plantain hung on the wall of a roadside stall, Fela’s shoes were hung in neat rows on the walls of the room. Most of them were made of Ofi material. They resembled the plimsol shoes trending in our present day.

 

– Two black-skinned manikins stood at the corner of the room. They wore Fela’s clothes- one was a beautiful and creatively styled shorts and pants, and the other was his thick woolen jacket.

– A door leads from the room into Fela’s bathroom and toilet….

…It had been walled on one of its sides with a thick glass so that visitors could have a good view without entering.

 

– Each room in the building has things to show from Fela’s life. They all told the true stories of the great music legend…

– From one floor to another, Omoyeni led us…

…through sky-lit stairwell, with its blue dampalon roofing casting a cool tone on the myriads of ancient photos arranged in neat patterns along the walls of the stairwell. It was a climb through the past.

 

– The open rooftop of the museum offered an awe-inspiring panoramic view of the  surrounding streets. The setting sun winked a good-bye to us as we chatted heartily…

– Omoyeni Kuti and her son.

– Fela’s burial place.

Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Fela Shrine, Kalakuta Museum, Social Media Week Lagos