Info For Yous The Re-Making Of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti`S Dancing Queens: Portraits: Kalakuta Queens, Circa 2011
Fela Anikulapo Kuti was a human being of many parts, a genius inwards musical arrangement, a relentless socio-political activist, basis class performer, a connoisseur of weed, together with higher upwardly all a lover of women he called “queens.”
Fela’s enigma is difficult to depict because at that topographic point were many things that made his band a basis brand. Although I am an extreme lover of Fela’s music, which I oftentimes play when I am epitome inwards my studio, I never met Fela or attended whatever of his concerts piece he was alive. Over fourth dimension I direct maintain gone beyond simply listening to his music together with analysing his message to admiring how he surrounded himself amongst art, specially his album designs yesteryear Lemmy Gharioku that featured most of his women, to the beautiful makeup of his dancers together with wives. Fela loved fine art inwards all its forms together with the release energy it gives, thence he infused it into every appear of his musical life.
Art inspired yesteryear him, his music together with his queens was travel of “The Black President: The Art together with Legacy of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti” exhibition inwards 2003 at the New Museum inwards New York. And this artistic appear of his legacy was non missing equally I sat downward inwards the audience inwards May this twelvemonth inwards New York to sentry the hitting Broadway show, Fela! The musical genius influenced art, together with fine art influenced him. And the most visible convergence betwixt Fela the instrumentalist together with Fela the creative someone is inherent inwards the aesthetics of the beautification of his queens.
The human relationship betwixt Fela together with his queens was equally complex equally the human being himself. This complexity was observed yesteryear Sara Krulwich of New York Times: “He was both sexist together with saviour; pushing the women to develop themselves together with using them equally political agitprop at times... the wives talked nigh their honey for Fela together with their wishing to direct maintain his children, together with too nigh their shared battle against corruption together with repression anywhere inwards the world.” Contrary to some people’s views that the women were prostitutes, they were truly activists together with co-fighters inwards their ain right. Most of them suffered amongst Fela inwards the tide of tyranny he swam against.
And amid the many legacies Fela left behind is the feel of regality together with beauty of the women he crowned together with celebrated. Their gyrating together with scintillating trip the calorie-free fantastic styles, sensuously skimpy costumes together with the riotously controlled construct upwardly all add together to their peculiarity. The queens did non exclusively feed Fela’s series polygamist lifestyle, some of them were the best choreographed dancers together with backup singers. Femi together with Seun, Fela’s 2 sons, did non exclusively accept later their manlike someone bring upwardly inwards sustaining the Afrobeat genre, they direct maintain too continued the tradition of surrounding themselves amongst queens, non equally wives similar their manlike someone bring upwardly but dancers mostly.
So beyond the political grittiness, what together with thence makes a Fela queen? What are the visual say tale signs that direct maintain influenced artists similar Gharioku, Femi Osunla. More than the eclectic choreography, where the queens’ torso movements seem to hold upwardly controlled yesteryear a for sure electrical machinery rather than yesteryear Fela’s music, it was eclectic fashion that best defined these women. Off stage, when non wearing the micro miniskirts amongst loose strands that twirled together with excited the audience, they were gorgeously clothed similar the queens they were, inwards long flowing gowns made from African fabric; buba together with wrapper made from exquisite lace stuff amongst beads together with bangles together with chains dangling from necks together with wrists. The elaborate facial epitome together with oftentimes diminutive costumes were real idiosyncratic.
To come across a Fela queen was to come across living art. The facial together with torso paintings were carefully controlled brush strokes of vibrant tropical colours accentuated at specific angles yesteryear bold pointillism done inwards white roughly the oculus brows, the forehead together with the chin. The lips were a luscious crimson or whatever brilliant color of the queen’s choice, carefully framed yesteryear dark lip-liner. Most of them did their ain makeup. The hair, when non wrapped inwards gorgeous Aso-Oke or some elongated gele, was plaited inwards dark thread, ascent heaven high similar a leafless baobab. Colourful beads, buttons together with other bling-bling ornaments were sewn to the pilus to hand it the await of flowers inwards sum bloom. It is non surprising that beside his music his queens were the most celebrated appear of Fela’s boisterous life. Without them the construct Fela in all probability would direct maintain been different. The queens completed the ensemble together with when he was hold upwardly y'all could grab Fela without a shirt or trousers, but it was rare to come across him without his queens. They were his muses, his energy, his essence together with they fed off each other.
They added the colours to Fela’s music together with brought the visual fine art appear of his life, to life.
Portraits: Kalakuta Queens, Circa 2011
Photographer James Petrozzello‘s gorgeous portraits capture the rigid beauty of the FELA! dancers paying tribute to the master Fela Queens. “I direct maintain long been a fan of Fela Kuti – the musician, the political figure, the icon,” James told Okayafrica. “The kickoff fourth dimension I saw his ‘queens’ I was struck yesteryear their radical style. I wanted to construct these photos to pay homage to their beauty together with to select attending to the women who contributed thence much to Fela’s life.”
To come across the entire series, click whatever epitome below.
MODELS HETTIE AND SHAKIRA POSING IN HOW CONTROVERSIAL
FELA`S DANCERS DRESSED.
ONIEKA, Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 MODEL POSING AS ONE OF THE FELA`S DANCING QUEENS
OF FELA`S DANCING QUEENS
Models: Rujeko Dumbutshena, Catherine Foster, Abena Koomson, Jill Vallery, Shaneeka Harrell, Shakira Marshall, Lauren De Veaux, Oneika Phillips, Hettie Barnhill, Iris Wilson, Aimee Graham Wodobode.
All the photos of the kalakuta models were culled from : http://www.okayafrica.com/2011/05/02/fela-portraits/
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