Burna Boy: If Fela was alive, most people celebrating him now would’ve demanded his arrest

Burna Boy, the Afro-fusion singer, says if Fela Kuti was alive, “most people celebrating his legacy would have demanded his incarceration”.

Fela passed away on August 2, 1997.

In an interview with Apple Music on Tuesday, the ‘Twice As Tall’ hitmaker argued that Fela’s expression would have been limited if he lived in today’s generation.

Burna Boy suggested that the Afrobeat legend might not have the freedom to express his ideas.

He added that he is grateful that Fela existed in an earlier era when people could appreciate his genuine messages and core principles.

“What I have realised is that the times are really funny. Fela in his time was going through things that if he was here today, it might have been a different feeling,” he said.

“Like a whole bunch of people from Nigeria who you see today celebrating Fela, are the same people that would have been tagging the police to go and arrest Fela if there was Twitter then.

“At the end of the day, I feel like God does not make mistakes. If he was here today, he may not have the space to explore because there is too much in this day and age that does not interlock with the spirit.

“Right now, spirituality is almost non-existent. Now, it is mostly run by stupidity and ignorance. It was still the same back then, but it was not as amplified.

“I am grateful for the fact that he existed in his time so that we can get an experience of the true organic nature of what he was, the essence of what he stood for and the messages he passed across to us.”

If FELA was here today, a whole lot of Nigerians will be tagging the police to go arrest him

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– Burna Boy pic.twitter.com/apid6wMFZT

— 🐬 @𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗷𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗯𝗼𝘆 (@OneJoblessBoy) August 22, 2023

Burna Boy has consistently been vocal about his admiration for Fela.

In 2020, he described the late Afrobeat icon as his “childhood hero”.