It’s about Representation and Pride – Fagbemi Osinuga speaks on Felabration UK 2025

After over 16 years working in marketing and experiential events across Africa and now the UK, Fagbemi Osinuga, founder ‘The Gidi Vibes,’ Member of Hull Music Board and Convener, Felabration UK maintains his focus: building bridges between cultures through creativity. Since launching in June 2024, Gidi Vibes has produced concerts, exhibitions, and cultural festivals across Hull and Yorkshire including Basketmouth’s sold-out comedy show in Hull, and Segun Johnson’s unforgettable Owambe Party. Now in its second year, Felabration UK is another important bridge connecting African heritage with new audiences. 

Daily Times: Tell us about your journey. Who is Fágbèmí Ọ̀ṣìnúgà and what drives your work?

Fagbemi Osinuga: I like to describe myself as a connector of cultures. I was born in Lagos Nigeria, raised in a Yoruba and Togolese household, and grew up surrounded by music, African tradition, and storytelling. Those early influences shaped how I see the world – everything I do now is about telling African stories with depth, rhythm, and authenticity.

Daily Times: What inspired you to start The Gidi Vibes™?

Fagbemi Osinuga: The Gidi Vibes™ was born out of a need I felt after moving to the UK — a gap between representation and reality. There is so much creative talent within the Nigerian and wider African diaspora, but too often it goes unseen. Many creatives here get caught in the grind of survival, working multiple shifts just to stay afloat. Over time, that creative spark, the one that once defined them, starts to fade quietly.

I wanted to build something that would reignite that spark. The Gidi Vibes™ is a dynamic and exclusive event platform dedicated to showcasing the vibrant and diverse talent of Nigerian creative artists in the diaspora. Our mission is to bring the electrifying energy and vibe of Lagos, fondly known as Lasgidi, to the heart of the United Kingdom, and beyond.

It is not just about entertainment; it is about representation and pride. The Gidi Vibes™ gives African creatives a stage to tell their stories on their own terms — unfiltered, unapologetic, and in full colour. It is a reminder that creativity isn’t a luxury; it’s our language, our therapy, and our heritage.

Since launching in June 2024, we have produced concerts, exhibitions, and cultural festivals across Hull and Yorkshire — from our launch event Lasgidi Vibes with Vector, to Felabration UK, The Sound of Our Skin Festival, Basketmouth’s sold-out comedy show in Hull and Segun Johnson’s unforgettable Owambe Party. Each project has been a celebration of African excellence and a bridge connecting our heritage with new audiences.

In many ways, we have opened up Hull as a new cultural destination for African creatives in the UK — a place where they can be seen, celebrated, and inspired to create again.

Daily Times: Felabration has a huge legacy. What does hosting it in the UK mean to you personally?

Fagbemi Osinuga:  Felabration is more than a tribute to Fela Kuti. It’s a living expression of resistance, creativity, and freedom. Hosting it in the UK, especially in Hull, feels like a full-circle moment for me.

My journey with Fela’s music began as a teenager in Nigeria. His voice came to me through barbershop speakers and street corners – raw, defiant, unforgettable. Later, at Obafemi Awolowo University, the music hit deeper. In Awo Hall, amid the laughter, banter, and restless energy of young men fired up by the Aluta spirit, Fela’s lyrics became more than sound. They were a language of consciousness.

Years later, while working in advertising under one of my mentors, Kayode Olagesin, I met Theo Lawson – now Chairman of the Felabration Organising Committee. That encounter changed everything. Felabration stopped being just a festival to me; it became a living platform for cultural memory and creative defiance. Not long after, I was running a brand activation at the New Afrika Shrine in Lagos, standing in the very cradle of Afrobeat. I couldn’t have imagined that years later, I’d be holding the licence to host Felabration in the UK, first in 2024, now again in 2025. Destiny has a quiet way of arranging things.

Hosting Felabration in Hull carries its own weight. This is the home of William Wilberforce, the abolitionist. To bring an African celebration of freedom, rhythm, and resilience into that same city reframes the story of history itself. It says clearly — we are not just subjects of history; we are authors too.

And it’s also about connection. Many young people today know Burna Boy or Wizkid, but not the soil that grew that sound. Felabration is where that rediscovery happens, where heritage meets the future beat.

Daily Times: What can we expect from Felabration UK 2025?

Fagbemi Osinuga: Felabration UK 2025 marks the 25th anniversary of the global festival, themed “Shakara”. It is not just a programme of events, it’s a dialogue between art, history, and identity.

We began this year’s edition on Nigeria’s Independence Day with The Underground Spiritual Game exhibition at the William Wilberforce House Museum in Hull — a symbolic and powerful setting. There could not be a more fitting venue than the home of a man remembered for his tireless advocacy in the abolition of slavery. Placing Fela Kuti’s legacy within that space creates a profound conversation between two figures who, in different eras and through different mediums, fought oppression. Wilberforce used political advocacy; Fela used rhythm, truth, and rebellion. Both sought freedom.

The exhibition, open until 2nd November 2025, features a number of collaborators whose work continues to define the visual and cultural language of Felabration UK. Artist Abolore Sobayo, whose sculptures and installations have become synonymous with contemporary expressions of Afrobeat’s spirit, has once again contributed new pieces that extend that dialogue between Lagos and Hull.

For his part, Abolore presented several masks from the Echoes collection in the exhibition. In African societies, masks hold deep spiritual and cultural meaning — they are not mere artefacts, but vessels of memory, used to immortalise legends and ancestors. This tradition, which profoundly influenced European modern art movements and inspired artists like Picasso and Modigliani, continues to remind the world where much of that creative impulse originated.

We have also had incredible support from Segun “lafup” Ogundipe, Tolu Olafimihan of GNATION Nigeria and the Black Heritage of Hull Collective, led by Stella Munthali, who was instrumental in creating the volunteer platform for the Sound of Our Skin festival in 2024 where the idea of organising a licensed Felabration in the UK first took root.

Daily Times: You’ve managed to build strong local partnerships in Hull. How has the city responded to African cultural programming?

Fagbemi Osinuga: Hull has been surprisingly open and collaborative, but more importantly, it’s been evolving. The city’s cultural institutions – City Council, Hull Museums, Ferens Art Gallery, and PQ Event Space including the council leadership, have shown genuine commitment to inclusion, not just as a checkbox but as part of a deeper cultural shift.

A big part of that progress comes from grassroots organisations like the Black Heritage of Hull Collective, led by Stella Munthali. Their work has been crucial in creating safe, visible spaces for Black expression in the city. It was through their early initiatives, The Sound of Our Skin festival that I first connected with Hull’s creative ecosystem. That collaboration opened the door for The Gidi Vibes™ to grow, and eventually for us to bring Felabration to Hull.

Being invited to join the Hull Music Board this year has also been a milestone. It means the Nigerian and wider African creative communities now have a voice at the table in shaping Hull’s cultural future. The city’s five-year music plan (2025–2030) is ambitious, aiming to make Hull a UNESCO City of Music. That vision aligns perfectly with what we are doing: broadening the narrative of what Hull’s music scene looks and sounds like, and ensuring that African and diaspora creativity are part of that story.

Daily Times: What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced curating African-led projects in the UK?

Fagbemi Osinuga:  Funding is always the big one. Diaspora-led projects are often powered by passion long before resources come in, so you have to be strategic, building partnerships, earning trust, and finding brands that genuinely value cultural equity rather than seeing it as a diversity tick box.

But lately, another challenge has emerged – audience engagement. Many Africans in the UK are navigating real uncertainty: tightening immigration rules, cost-of-living pressures, and the general anxiety that comes with instability. So beyond their usual busy schedules, people now need to be almost persuaded to take a break, to see cultural events not as indulgence but as restoration – as part of their wellbeing and community strength.

That is the emotional work behind every event we curate. You’re not just selling tickets; you’re rebuilding trust, reminding people that showing up to something like Felabration is also a way of affirming who we are. And even with all these hurdles, the community’s energy keeps things alive. When people see themselves represented, their music, their humour, their language, they respond. That’s still the real fuel that drives everything we do.

Daily Times: Morpheus Multimedia sits behind many of these projects. How does that side of your work tie in?

Fagbemi Osinuga:  Morpheus Multimedia is the engine room. It is an experiential marketing and creative consultancy I founded to help brands and cultural institutions connect meaningfully with audiences.

Before establishing Morpheus, I worked extensively across Nigeria’s creative and marketing industries — consulting for the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry while at Towncriers Limited, I was a creative lead and head of experience at Leo Burnett, Lagos, consulted for Board of Innovation Antwerp from Nigeria before moving to the UK and AYKO Agency London. I have led strategic campaigns for global brands including MTN, Heineken, Budweiser, 33 Export Lager Beer and Coca-Cola. Those experiences shaped my understanding of how creativity and strategy must coexist — how to move audiences, not just reach them.

That grounding is what we have brought into Morpheus Multimedia’s UK work — combining data-driven marketing with cultural intelligence. The commercial work funds the cultural work, and both feed each other. Through Felabration and The Gidi Vibes™, we’re showing how creativity can build cultural bridges and brand relevance at the same time.

Daily Times: Beyond Felabration, what’s next for you and The Gidi Vibes™?

Fagbemi Osinuga: We are in an exciting phase of growth. The goal now is to expand The Gidi Vibes™ into a touring platform, taking our fusion of music, art, and theatre to more UK cities like London, Leeds, Manchester, and Birmingham and ultimately Nigeria. Each city has its own rhythm, and we want to connect those rhythms with the pulse of African creativity.

I am also developing an original stage musical titled “Shakara: The Legacy of Fire.” It is inspired by Fela’s story but told through a modern lens — one that speaks to legacy, defiance, and rebirth. The musical weaves Yoruba cosmology, Afrobeat, and storytelling into something that feels both epic and intimate. Think of it as Hamilton meeting Sarafina! but rooted in African truth, rhythm, and spirituality.

At its core, everything we are doing, from Felabration to The Gidi Vibes™, is about creating spaces where African stories can live, breathe, and inspire across generations.

Daily Times: What do you hope people take away from Felabration UK 2025?

Fagbemi Osinuga: I want people to leave with pride – pride in being African, pride in our music, pride in our history. But also a sense of connection. When someone in Hull or Leeds dances to Afrobeat, I want them to understand that it is more than rhythm — it is identity, protest, and celebration woven together. Felabration UK is a statement: African creativity belongs everywhere.

Daily Times: Any final words to the Nigerian community in the UK and your audience back home?

Fagbemi Osinuga: My message is simple, our culture is our power. Whether you are in Lagos, Hull, or London, never stop telling your story. Fela used his music to speak the truth. We can use ours to build bridges. Every beat, every lyric, every artwork is a reminder that we are here — and we are shaping the world in our image.