Gov Ambode unveils Fela’s ‘Liberation Statue, visits Kalakuta Museum

Lagos State governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday unveiled the Liberation Statue of late Afrobeat legend and freedom fighter, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti statue erected at Allen Roundabout in Ikeja area of the state.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Ambode said it was part of activities marking his 79th posthumous birthday and the 20th anniversary of his demise.

The governor said that Fela also used his music to challenge the government and the people to explore development through social and economic activities that were rooted in African values.

According to him, the legend, Fela, challenged every individual to free their minds of all inhibitions and actualise their true potential.

“He made the world to sit up and take notice of the energy of African arts and music.

“Fela will forever be accorded his position in the global hall of fame of artistes.

“The phenomenon that the world knows as Fela was deeply rooted in the evolution of Lagos State.

“The story of music, arts, entertainment and tourism in Lagos cannot be told without an eloquent mention of the ‘Abami Eda’.

Ambode said that the statue was a symbol of Fela’s music, mythology, struggle for freedom, fight for human dignity, social consciousness, courage and pan-Africanism.

“It has been 20 years since he passed on, but the memories he left remain evergreen.

“Today, we celebrate a man who voluntarily turned his back to a life of comfort and privilege and took up his saxophone to fight for the liberation of our people from neo-colonialism and bad governance.

“This statue is not an image of Fela, but a symbol of Fela’s philosophy. It is a form of respect and remembrance of what he stood for and fought for,’’ he said.

Ambode commended Fela’ family for immortalising the legend with the annual Felabration event.

He pledged that the state government would continue to fully harness the potential of entertainment, creative arts and tourism to transform the economy of the state and generate wealth and job opportunities for residents.

Also speaking, Mr Abolore Sobayo, the Sculptor and Visual Artist, said that the statue represented the essence of the late Fela and what he stood for.

“Fela said music is a weapon and for me as an artist, art is a weapon to generate discourse and provoke thoughts.

“Fela’s personality provoked thoughts in me, because 20 years after his death, all his proclamations have been coming to past. He is a ‘Spirit’.

“He believed in the emancipation of the people, hence, this Liberation effigy,’’ he said.

Sobayo thanked Gov. Ambode for the opportunity given to artists to showcase their creativity and talents.

Speaking on behalf of the family, Ms Yeni Kuti, daughter of the late Fela, said that the ‘headless’ statue represented Fela’s personality.

“This kind of statue is what Fela would have wanted because he did not like statue and it reflects his personality – ‘Abami Eda’ meaning the Spirit.

“We thanked Gov. Ambode for recognising our father and this unveiling coincided with his birthday as he would have been 79 today, Oct. 15, ” she said.

In her remarks, Mrs Adebimpe Akinsola, the Special Adviser to Gov. Ambode on Tourism, Arts and Culture, said that the statue was meant to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Fela’s death.

Akinsola said that the state government had been showcasing the state’s tourism potential with iconic statues, paintings and works of arts to celebrate, beautify and tell the success story of Lagos.

She said that 22 works of arts were commissioned and 15 had been completed and unveiled.

“The Liberation statue is one of the art works to tell the success story of Lagos State and the personalities that shaped its development.