A new graphic novel chronicles the real-life heroics of music legend Fela Kuti

Artist Jibola Fagbamiye grew up in Lagos not far from the home of legendary Nigerian musician and political activist Fela Kuti, but didn’t understand the significance until much later.

While Kuti rose to fame and stardom in the 1970s with his band Africa ‘70, his impact and influence advocating for the Nigerian people against a corrupt military dictatorship still resonates, inspiring Fagbamiye to tell his story.

In 2003, six years after his death, there was a Fela Kuti exhibit in New York City, followed by the Broadway hit called Fela! that Fagbamiye says he saw at least four times in Toronto. He was astonished to learn more about the legendary ‘father of Afrobeat’ and his activism outside of his music  — how Kuti declared his home as an independent republic called Kalakuta Republic and how nearly a thousand Nigerian soldiers stormed it and tried to burn it down. He also didn’t know that Kuti ran for president of Nigeria in 1979.

“This is such a wild story; it’s almost mythical,” the Toronto-based artist told CBC Arts. “If I didn’t know the story, and I lived five minutes away from his house, what else didn’t I know?”

FELA: Music is the Weapon is a biographical graphic novel, created by Fagbamiye and comic writer Conor McCreery. The two have been friends for many years before collaborating on this book, which began 10 years ago when Fagbamiye approached McCreery whose works include a YA adventure series called The Last Witch and a horror-comedy comic, Trickster.

McCreery’s journalistic background was an asset in researching and accurately giving more context to Kuti’s life story.

“We at first thought Fela’s story was going to be more of a cautionary tale,” McCreery says. “It would show you that this idea of fascist governments is not just a European thing. They exist around the world. But it also became a very heavy reminder of what’s going on right now in the world. About how important it is for us to protect our rights and to protect our neighbors’ rights.”

‘Magical realism’ and music

The book is described as a reimagining of Kuti’s life through “magical realism, Afro-futurist symbolism, and political storytelling — positioning art itself as an act of resistance.”

“It’s impossible to tell Fela’s story without talking about spiritualism and magic and fantasy. He even references it in his music as well,” Fagbamiye explains.

When laying out the images of the pages, he says that the colour palette evolves and changes to match the timeline of Kuti’s life.

It was also essential to capture music in static images for a biography about Kuti. Fagbamiye spent a lot of time watching his performances — both musical and oratorical — to make sure it came across fluidly in the book.

McCreery had actually suggested a two-page spread that was able to illustrate movement and music, which Fagbamiye was at first reluctant to include but later felt it was an amazing decision.

“It allows the reader to breathe a little bit and just take in the art and the music,” he says.

Fagbamiye’s own art style is influenced by African history, political resistance and North American pop culture, using mixed media, digital illustration and graphic design. He is no stranger to spotlighting political trailblazers.

His goal was to let people absorb new information in a way that is not overwhelming to them by including illustrations and sketches along with typography and poetry that tells a bigger story in an instant.

“You’re not just looking at an image, you’re looking at a whole visual language,” he says.

Music is the Weapon

Just as Kuti was able to use his music as a platform to fight corruption and oppression, Fagbamiye and McCreery have also positioned their book as an act of resistance.

“I think this is the most complicated and interesting work that I’ve been allowed to be a part of,” McCreery says. “I really hope it just provides people a window into a part of the world they’ve never seen before.”

Fagbamiye says he hopes this book and the man at the centre of it can inspire other people to use their art and their speech to make change.

“I think we’ve contributed something positive to the world,” Fagbamiye adds. “That’s what ‘music is the weapon’ means to me — [to take] you out of your comfort zone a little bit and just make you feel inspired to do something cool.”

Jibola Fagbamiye and Conor McCreery appeared at Toronto Comicon at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (255 Front St. W.) in Toronto, Mar. 20-22.