Title: Arrest the Music! Fela and His Rebel Art and Politics
Abstract:Arrest the Music! Fela and His Rebel Art and Politics. By Tejumola Olaniyan. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2004. Pp. x, 242; 13 illustrations. $19.95 paper. One fascinating paradox of cultura...Arrest the Music! Fela and His Rebel Art and Politics. By Tejumola Olaniyan. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2004. Pp. x, 242; 13 illustrations. $19.95 paper. One fascinating paradox of cultural studies is that the elegance of its analysis frequently surpasses the aesthetic distinction of what is being scrutinized. When that occurs, what starts out as a vehicle for extolling popular expression can end up undermining the legitimacy of what is being celebrated. If popular music in Guinea or decorated lorries in Ghana need an academic interlocutor to explain and champion their artistic value to a global audience, than by implication, such forms of popular culture are incomplete and inarticulate. In his masterful study of the Nigerian Afro-beat musician Fela Anikulap Kuti (1938-1997), Arrest the Music!, the performance scholar Tejumola Olaniyan tries to avoid this pitfall. However, like other researchers into African popular culture, he is undone by the incisiveness and integrity of his analysis. The more he proclaims Fela a uniquely insightful critic of the African condition, the more it becomes apparent that Olaniyan's idol has feet of clay. Olaniyan brings formidable gifts to this project. He compellingly describes African music (his examination of aural perspectives is especially strong). He apprehends the nuances of Yoruba culture. As a cultural critic, his arguments resonate with erudition. His sophisticated contributions to African cultural theory, particularly on popular culture, open up new areas of inquiry. His dissection of the contradictions of Nigerian cultural nationalism, for example, blazes an exciting path for others to follow. Olaniyan characterizes Fela as a cosmopolitan nativist who domesticated Western modernity and helped indigenize it. He also argues that Fela was a great teacher who reached millions, someone who opened eyes, an important concept in Yoruba culture. Refreshingly, unlike some other recent commentators on Fela, he casts a jaundiced eye on the musician's exploitive gender relations. Rather than just condemn Fela's objectification of women, though, he illuminates the roots of his manipulative and self-serving behaviors. However, for all its many strengths, Olaniyan's book can be misguided. In developing his argument about the postcolonial incredible, Olaniyan makes the odd decision to draw on Lacan where Bakhtin would have been more useful, if less fashionable. …Read More
Publication Year: 2005
Publication Date: 2005-05-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 2
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