Fela is not dead. The
musical and artistic influences of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti are undisputed
and extend way beyond the shrine and performance sites of Lagos. Ten
years after the publication of Tejumola Olaniyan’s Arrest
the Music: Fela and his Rebel Art and Politics, this panel invites
papers that reflect on the after-lives of this influential book and on the
phenomenon that was and is Fela. We are particularly keen to encourage
early career scholars to take part in this set of panels, and to deliver
their papers alongside Prof Olaniyan, who will be an active participant in
discussions.
We welcome papers
that provide original and ground-breaking ways of understanding Fela’s
legacies, both locally and trans-nationally. Topics could include: recent
uses of Fela in popular protests in Nigeria and elsewhere; supplementary
narratives such as those of his wives and mother; local histories of
individuals’ interactions with Fela; his transformative relationship with Sandra
Smith Isidore; the London and New York years; Fela as Yoruba abàmì èdá;
Fela as he is referenced in the work of young performers like Nneka and
Ade Bantu.
The panel/stream will be
headed by Prof Olanyian, who will provide a short stream keynote
lecture at the end, summarising the sessions and mapping the new trends in
scholarship. Papers from this panel/stream will be considered for
publication in the Journal
of African Cultural Studies(JACS).
In addition, JACS has allocated
£1 000 towards the costs of an early career African-based scholar to take
part in this panel. The recipient of the JACSfellowship will work with the editor
of JACS to prepare
the paper for publication.
For more details please email jacs@soas.ac.uk or cc76@soas.ac.uk as soon as
possible, writing “Fela no go die o fellowship” in the subject line.
Applicants are required to send in an abstract of 200 words, and a
motivation letter outlining the project. A letter of support from a Head of
Department is highly recommended, along with an indication that the person
who is awarded the fellowship will be given leave to attend the
conference. The closing date for the fellowship is 15 October 2015.
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