A portrait of the legendary Nigerian black consciousness superstar Fela Kuti in his spectacular prime in the mid-80s. Filled with rare and performance footage, it offers insight into his philosophy and religion and his battles against political corruption. Shortly after his release from prison Fela participated in a huge festivity organized by Amnesty alongside Bono and Carlos Santana. For the first time in 17 years he was back in New York, but this time everything was put down on tape. Director and producer Jaheed Ashley synthesized the 10 hours of film reels that were stored in a vault and meant to be destroyed into this movie. From the press conference where he expounded his political idea's to the reception in Harlem, just about every Afro-American luminary in the New York area, from Don Cherry (Neneh Cherry's father) to jazz giant Roy Ayers, came and paid respect to the one and only Fela. Keep in mind this was before the Internet or Broadway, in a time that the charts were dominated by artists like Cindy Lauper and Phil Collins.
PLUS : Ancestral Voices
An educational documentary spanning two continents, opening up a much-needed debate about traditional African spiritual systems; their cosmologies, ideologies and underlying ethical principles.Modern science no longer refutes the origins of mankind being in Africa and similarities in the cosmological ideologies of African esoteric systems with those found many established world religions today, suggest that it was not only people that migrated, but also concepts and themes that then provided bedrock for the formation of other systems of belief. A range of individuals of different faiths in the United Kingdom share their knowledge of these esoteric systems and their perceptions of them in light of other established religions and mainstream media coverage.Traditional shamans from the Greater Accra, Eastern and Ashanti regions in Ghana also provide religous insight. After the films we join Virgo Foundation in the Blue Room for Q and A with special guests including Rikki Stein (Fela's ex-manager) with actor Wale Ojo (Meet the Adebanjos)