(This article was first published in 1998.)
Felaism is the product of the society and us. For years to come we shall talk, argue and write about it, trying to arrive at some form of explanations and answers. But I am sure, there will never be a consensus because of the complex nature of the man himself. Sure, like with every mortal there are contracitions. Fela had his own too. Few questions, however, will be posed here. What is Felaism? What drove Fela, did he open a pandora box and found he could not replace back the lid? What happens to Felaism after Fela? For this writer, Felaism is living as dictated by Fela’s life style; specific aspects of these are:
Unrepentant and uncompromising in all struggles.
Being oneself and standing one’s ground.
Courage to willingly suffer for one’s belief.
Fela was indeed his own man. Nobody pushed him around.