Podcast Summary: New Books Network –

Episode: Jibola Fagbamiye and Conor McCreery on "Fela: Music Is the Weapon" (Amistad Press, 2025)
Date: December 9, 2025
Host: Bradley Morgan
Guests: Jibola Fagbamiye (artist), Conor McCreery (writer)

Episode Overview

This episode of New Books Network: New Books in Music explores "Fela: Music Is the Weapon," a groundbreaking graphic novel by Jibola Fagbamiye and Conor McCreery. The authors delve into the legendary life of Fela Kuti—Nigeria’s iconic musician, activist, and Afrobeat pioneer—exploring his political defiance, spiritual journey, and profound cultural legacy. The conversation covers Fela’s family background, his formative years, musical evolution, relationships, artistic resistance, and the innovative ways the graphic novel medium brings his true and mythical narratives to life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Genesis and Scope of the Graphic Novel

• Personal ties to Fela’s story [02:07]:
  • Jibola grew up near Fela’s house in Lagos, hearing tales but not fully grasping his impact until reading Carlos Moore’s "This Bitch of a Life."
  • “He’s actually someone who went on to create his own artistic, political, and even spiritual ecosystem or universe… Fela is probably one of the most important artists of the last, say, 100 years.” — Jibola Fagbamiye [03:07].
• The aim: To tell Fela’s multi-faceted story accessibly for both Nigerians and a global audience, especially younger generations.

2. Colonial Legacy and Family Influence

• The British Colonial Context [08:07]:
  • Colonial rule imposed English names, education, and infrastructure, but devastated indigenous culture.
  • Fela’s own name, Ransome-Kuti, reflected this colonial legacy.
• Father as Both Inspiration and Hard Taskmaster [11:16]:
  • “He made him very serious. Takes music very seriously and to not treat it as a hobby.” — Jibola Fagbamiye [12:24]
• Mother as Political Firebrand [13:29]:
  • Led independence-era protests; pivotal in deposing a colonial-aligned king.
  • “She started this huge movement that literally got 10,000 women to depose the king.” — Jibola Fagbamiye [16:21]
  • Early exposure to activism influenced Fela’s later political courage.

3. Musical Journey: From Jazz to Afrobeat

• Early Struggles in London [17:47]:
  • Initially failed as a jazz musician; his London experience forced him to reflect on identity.
  • Juxtaposes early ridicule with eventual adulation in Nigeria after musical breakthroughs.
• First Arrest in London and Awakening to Racism [20:14, 23:20]:
  • His cheeky defiance toward police foreshadowed his later resistance to authority.
  • Sensed racism and classism firsthand: “He talks about seeing the signs that talk about no colors and finding himself … it’s the first crack in Fela’s belief that the British system... is ultimately a good one.” — Conor McCreery [25:17]

4. Forging Afrobeat: Cross-continental Influences and Breakthrough

• Returning to Nigeria & Musical Reassessment [26:04]:
  • Initially dismissed as a jazz musician at home. Highlife and funk (via James Brown) reshaped his direction.
  • “Jazz is not working in Nigeria, you know… maybe you’re not a good jazz musician, but if you listen to old school Fela, jazz is actually quite good. It was just not for the right audience.” — Jibola Fagbamiye [27:49]
• Geraldo Pino and James Brown influence [28:17]:
  • Copying funk’s energy and spectacle, Fela merges jazz, funk, highlife, and African rhythms—thus Afrobeat is born.

5. Transformation in America: The Sandra Isadore Effect

• Sandra Isadore’s Impact [33:29]:

  • Black Panther and activist, she challenges Fela’s colonial mindset, introduces him to Malcolm X, political consciousness, Nina Simone, and the power of black protest music.
  • “Sandra was the midwife for Fela’s revolutionary spirit. And for Afrobeat...” — Jibola Fagbamiye [35:23]
  • Afrobeat’s origins rooted in both musical fusion and political awareness developed in LA’s Citadel De Haiti club scene.

• Songwriting Shift: “My Lady Frustration” and Black Identity [37:12]:

  • Realization: “He had been playing jazz without realizing why... eventually coming to understand that jazz was music about black struggle, black beauty and black resilience.” — Bradley Morgan [37:12]
  • "My Lady Frustration" marks the personal and political genesis of Afrobeat.
  • “It’s his first real conversation about using music in this political way. And it starts very personally, and from there it’s going to blow up and become something universal.” — Conor McCreery [39:13]

6. Art, Resistance, and Political Awakening

• Re-Africanizing Minds, Not Just Music [44:17]:

  • Fela’s songs pivot from praise to pointed critique.
  • “Fella did the exact opposite. He mocked corporations, he mocked leaders, he mocked politicians… he was kind of like forcing us to reconnect with Nigerian, with African sounds, but use it to challenge the system.” — Jibola Fagbamiye [46:26]

• Kalakuta Republic and the Cost of Dissent [47:29, 48:05]:

  • Communal compound reflects political and artistic autonomy.
  • Legendary “expensive shit” story: Fela eats planted evidence (a joint), spends days in jail, with fans helping him hide excrement from authorities.
  • “The most expensive shit in the history of Nigeria because of the arrest and the holding them and having to have doctors. And so Fela writes a song about the experience called ‘Expensive Shit’. And it is a legendary song.” — Conor McCreery [54:14]

7. Women, Contradictions, and Evolution

• Sandra Returns to Nigeria—Collision of Worlds [56:35, 57:16]:
  • Sandra comes to live in Kalakuta, is disturbed by Fela’s polygamy and misogynist lyrics.
  • “He breaks his own rule about not writing a song for another person and ends up writing a song called ‘Upside Down’ for Sandra to sing.” — Bradley Morgan [57:39]
  • Sandra and Funmilayo (his mother) both complexly shape Fela’s worldview and art.

8. The 1977 Kalakuta Attack: Music as Weapon, Life in Peril

• Build-up and Cataclysm [61:06–67:13]:
  • Fela’s refusal to compromise with the Nigerian regime during the FESTAC arts festival leads to military retaliation.
  • Song "Zombie" satirizes soldiers as mindless tools; the government unleashes a thousand soldiers, destroys Fela’s compound, and causes the death of his mother.
  • “They beat Fela up so much that he said he could hear his bones crack…and they assaulted his women... you know, he was taken to jail, and after being in jail for 28 days, he came back and sang the same song again on stage.” — Jibola Fagbamiye [65:42]

The Power of Myth and the Graphic Novel Medium

9. Magical Realism and Yoruba Spirituality [69:43–74:19]

• Dream sequences with a spirit girl intertwine Yoruba mythology and Fela’s story, blending the real with the legendary.
• “We actually live in clues in there for you to actually discover she is an actual goddess. But we don’t quite tell you what she is. But she’s supposed to have layered meaning…” — Jibola Fagbamiye [70:43]
• The graphic novel’s structure allows seamless shifts between realism and myth, immersing the reader in the magic and political tumult of Fela’s world.

10. Visual Storytelling, Artistic License, and Biography [74:56]

• The medium enables wild legends (like driving a bus into a military compound) and spiritual encounters to breathe alongside documented history.
• “When Nigerians tell stories…there’s a bit of magic, a little bit of mysticism…when we were telling the story, we wanted to make sure you had that magic element.” — Jibola Fagbamiye [76:09]

Reflections and Legacy

11. Reconciling Cultural Memory and Celebration [78:18–81:35]

• For Jibola, creating this book is both a personal reckoning and an act of cultural restoration:
  • “For me, telling Fela’s story in this big way is just to…put him on that pedestal…we should do that for all our heroes…this is my way of doing that as an artist.” — Jibola Fagbamiye [79:24]
• The project aims to inspire Nigerians to better celebrate their own icons and stories, challenging the tendency to neglect national champions.

12. Favorite Fela Songs [81:35]

• Conor’s picks:
  • "Wata No Get Enemy" (accessible, groovy), "Junkoku," "Lyshow" (early jazz cut), "Overtake Don Overtake Overtake" (long, multi-part song)
• Jibola’s picks:
  • "Look and Laugh" (“30 minute deep cut on nihilism”), "Gentleman," "Zombie" (“hardest funk, hip hop, jazz song you’ve ever heard”), "Equalization of Trouser and Pants"

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You could say that Sandra was the midwife for Fela’s revolutionary spirit. And for Afrobeat and Citadel de Haiti was the incubator.” — Jibola Fagbamiye [35:23]
• “We were actually on a panel the other day with somebody who had lived with Fela...he said that he really felt we had done Fela justice, which is all we really wanted to do.” — Conor McCreery [84:45]
• “This is my way of doing that as an artist, because that’s something I see in the world. And as an artist, I wanted to put it out there so that, yeah, the world sees our stories. Nigerians see themselves as well and champion more stories like this.” — Jibola Fagbamiye [81:24]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Fela’s origins, family, and colonial Nigeria: 02:07–14:13
• Mother’s political activism and influence: 13:29–16:48
• Musical failures and lessons in London: 17:47–19:23
• First arrest and awakening to racism: 20:14–26:04
• Creating Afrobeat: 26:04–30:46
• Citadel de Haiti and Sandra Isadore: 33:29–36:00
• "My Lady Frustration" and Afrobeat’s genesis: 37:12–41:56
• Re-Africanization and political music: 44:17–47:29
• Expensive Shit and Kalakuta Republic: 48:05–54:14
• 1977 attack and its aftermath: 61:06–67:37
• Yoruba spiritual elements and graphic novel medium: 69:43–76:09
• Reconciling cultural memory: 78:18–81:35
• Favorite Fela songs: 81:35–84:32

Closing Thoughts

The episode is a vibrant, candid discussion about art, activism, history, spirituality, and the enduring power of Fela’s music in resisting oppression and reclaiming cultural pride. Through both meticulous research and storytelling flair, Jibola and Conor have created a graphic novel that honors Fela’s contradictions, legends, and world-changing artistry—and that serves as a model for telling multidimensional African stories.

Further info and graphic novel excerpts: fellagraphicnovel.com