Podcast Summary: Fela Kuti: Fear No Man

Episode 7: Teacher Don’t Teach Me Nonsense

Podcast by: Higher Ground | Host: Jad Abumrad | Release Date: November 12, 2025

Brief Overview

This episode, “Teacher Don’t Teach Me Nonsense,” explores one of Fela Kuti’s most pivotal chapters: his transformation from musician to radical teacher, mentor, and would-be politician. Host Jad Abumrad traces how Fela, having undergone a deep political awakening in America, returns to Nigeria with a mission to decolonize the minds of his people, eventually inspiring a new generation of Nigerian youth to reclaim their history, break free of colonial legacies, and reimagine national identity. Through the personal recollections of Duro Ikujenyo (musician), Lemi Ghariokwu (artist), and Mabinuri Kayode “Id” (philosopher), this episode reveals how Fela’s music and mentorship galvanized young Nigerians to question authority and dream of sweeping social change.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Fela’s Mission to Decolonize (01:16–04:08)

• After returning from Los Angeles in 1970, Fela becomes obsessed with using music to educate and uplift Nigerians, releasing a torrent of 27 albums.
• His concerns go beyond resistance to government oppression—he’s troubled by Nigerians bleaching their skin, adopting British mannerisms, and harboring an inferiority complex.
• Fela launches a project to “decolonize the mind,” inspired by Sandra Isidore’s own influence on him.

Notable Quote:

• “He becomes consumed with the project of decolonizing the minds of the people around him, doing to them what Sandra did to him.” — Jad Abumrad (01:31)

Growing Up Colonized: Duro, Lemmy, and Id (03:29–07:48)

• Duro Ikujenyo (musician), Lemmy Ghariokwu (artist/graphic designer), and “Id” (philosopher) paint a portrait of growing up in 1970s Lagos, more invested in Western pop culture—Michael Jackson, David Bowie—than in Nigerian heritage.
• Colonial education forbade speaking local languages and taught history only from a Western lens.

Notable Quote:

• “We finished high school... we had a lot of interest in Western musicians... we don’t see any African musicians.” — Duro (04:08)

The Transformative Power of Meeting Fela (07:48–14:00)

• Id, working as a cosmetics sales agent after secondary school, becomes intrigued by Fela, whose music and political defiance place him in rare company alongside foreign stars.
• Lemmy and Duro, already close to Fela, introduce Id to the Shrine (Fela’s club). Id is struck by Fela’s disregard for formality and colonial deference.
• A pivotal moment: Id calls Fela “sir,” prompting an explosive rebuke.

Notable Moment:

• “Never in this house anybody addresses me as ‘sir.’ My name is Fela! ...This is what I hate about the colonial education they are giving our youths in Nigeria today.” — Fela (via Id), (13:20)

Notable Quote:

• “He went on like that, and he was like talking for more than two hours.” — Id (13:18)

Redefining Identity Through Learning (15:20–20:00)

• Fela gives Id influential books: The First Black Man of the Nile by Dr. Yosef Ben-Jochannan and Stolen Legacy by George G.M. James—works arguing that African civilizations predated and inspired Greek philosophy.
• The three friends plunge into a self-education “book club” at Fela’s house, passing books and interrogating their own education.

Notable Quotes:

• “This was like the turning point. I said, shit, Socrates—why should I study Socrates?” — Id (21:08)
• “We would meet every day at Fela's house... Fela became our champion, our leader.” — Lemmy (21:04)

Fela as Mentor and Spiritual Guide (26:24–27:57)

• Lemmy recounted when Fela acknowledged him as "the artist" in a crowded hospital room, sealing his sense of artistic destiny.

Notable Quote:

• “Fela looked at me and he said—the artist. That was the moment, spiritually, that I connected to my role.” — Lemmy (26:40)

• Fela warned that university art classes would erase African identity and urged Lemmy to self-educate instead.

Notable Quote:

• “If you go to university to study art... you lose your identity and your originality... Go and buy books on art, study on your own and take elements that is suitable for you.” — Fela (via Lemmy), (27:11)

Building Youth Movements: YAP & MOP (32:25–34:14)

• Fela buys a printing press, challenging his young protégés to start their own newspaper: the Young African Pioneers (YAP) News—printing 100,000 free copies, calling out corruption, and creating a public forum for revolutionary ideas.
• YAP grows into the Movement of the People (MOP)—the mass political platform behind Fela's eventual presidential bid.

Notable Quote:

• “We always say the things that other newspapers cannot print. We, we can print the truth.” — Id (33:35)

Manifesto for a New Nation (35:05–37:40)

• The episode climaxes with Duro, Lemmy, and Id reciting and reflecting on their 30-page MOP manifesto—calling for free education, reliable electricity, water for all, and African languages at the heart of education.
• Their youthful optimism is palpable, even decades later.

Notable Quotes:

• “We are Nigerians and everyone owes a duty to Nigeria and Africa... Movement of the People... is the beginning of the struggle for our second independence.” — Unknown Interviewer reading the manifesto (37:11)

• “I was so proud to be part of that movement. Here was something new that was galvanizing us. It was the turning point in my life.” — Id (37:40, 38:02)

Fela’s Trust and Bonds of Loyalty (38:49–40:26)

• In an archival student interview, Fela names Id, Duro, and Femi as his most trusted young collaborators, “very vast in their knowledge.”
• A poignant memory: on a road trip, Fela turns to Id and says, “If you guys ever leave me—” but never finishes the thought. Within months, their movement would face new tests.

Notable Quotes:

• “I trust them completely. For now.” — Fela Kuti (39:24)
• “For three years this statement rested in my head... If you YAP boys ever leave me...” — Id (40:26)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Fela’s explosive lesson on colonial education:
  “Never in this house anybody addresses me as sir. My name is Fela. …This is what I hate about the colonial education they are giving our youths in Nigeria today.” — Fela (via Id), (13:20)

• Learning as liberation:
  “We would meet every day at Fela's house... Fela was like our champion. He was our leader.” — Lemmy (21:04)

• Redefining how to learn:
  “Go and buy books on art, study on your own and take elements that is suitable for you.” — Fela (via Lemmy), (27:11)

• Manifesto for the people:
  “MOP is therefore going to institutionalize that African and Nigerian languages be first place in our educational system.” — Unknown, reading MOP manifesto (37:09)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------------------------------------|:----------:| | Fela returns to Nigeria and mission to educate | 01:16–04:08| | Duro, Lemmy, and Id’s colonial upbringing | 04:08–07:48| | First meeting with Fela & rebuke over colonial deference | 12:19–14:00| | Introduction to Afrocentric literature | 15:20–20:00| | Lemmy’s “artist” epiphany with Fela | 26:24–27:57| | Establishment of YAP & MOP | 32:25–34:14| | Recitation & discussion of MOP manifesto | 35:05–37:40| | Fela’s statement of trust in protégés | 38:49–39:24| | “If you ever leave me”—Fela’s unfinished warning | 39:38–40:26|

Tone & Language

• The episode is deeply personal, reflective, and energetic. The narration alternates between affective oral history, investigative journalism, and a kind of coming-of-age story, capturing not only the facts of Fela’s activism but the emotional climate of Lagos in the 1970s.
• The original voices—especially from Duro, Lemmy, and Id—are expressive, sometimes humorous, always candid. Their recollections brim with nostalgia and pride, but also loss.

Summary Takeaway

“Teacher Don’t Teach Me Nonsense” is a journey from colonized self-doubt to radical self-discovery. Through Fela’s leadership and fiery mentorship, three ordinary young men (and by extension, countless others) find pride, voice, and agency through art, history, and collective action. The story is not just about Fela, but about a movement embracing its past to claim a future, and about the electrifying effect one artist can have on the imagination of a generation facing an uncertain world.

Further Listening

The episode leaves the story unresolved—hinting at impending challenges for the movement Fela inspired, to be explored in subsequent episodes.