The "Black President" suffered humiliation, beatings, imprisonment and torture until his death in 1997. A million people marched through the streets of Lagos to pay him homage one last time. Fela leaves behind him a combat, an ideology, sixty albums, the memory of the "Kalakuta Republic," and the mythical "Shrine," the real historical temple of Afro-beat.....
In October 2000, Femi Kuti created the New Africa Shrine. Like his father, Femi has dedicated his music to spreading the message with his group, The Positive Force, and to mobilizing Africans and the African Diaspora towards the idea of a united Africa.
Though Fela constructed a permanent Shrine in his lifetime, he always called Africa Shrine subsequent venues where he performed with his group Africa 70 and later Egypt 80.....
"The Shrine should not be seen as a nightclub, it should be regarded as a place of worship - more sacred than the churches and mosques that abound throughout African cities." ~ Fela Anikulapo Kuti
~ From the the scroll before the title sequence of the film Femi Kuti: Live at the Shrine (a film about Fela Kuti's son and his music)
The video below is a video of Fela Kuti and his band "Egypt 80" performing in New York City:
