Felabration lights up Lagos

From the way he rushed to the stage, one could tell that Femi Kuti was enraged. “Bring them back,” he bellowed to the organisers immediately, as the fraternal highlife duo, Cavemen, exited the stage after their 10-minute performance.

For Femi, their energetic performance was too mesmerizing to end so briefly. And within minutes, the singing brothers were back on stage, energizing the hundreds of people present at the New Afrika Shrine this Wednesday night, dishing one of the most intriguing performances of the Felabration festival this year.

For the past five days, the city of Lagos has been agog with multiple celebrations of the Felabration Festival, which eulogises the late Afrobeat progenitor, Fela Kuti. While events have been held simultaneously at the Freedom Park and Bature Brewery, in Lagos, respectively, as well as in Abeokuta where Fela is originally from, the main groove has been at the renowned New Afrika Shrine.

Several superstars such as Waje, Oxlade, Dremo, Idahams, Pasuma, Dr. Sid, Aramide, among others, have graced the hallowed stage to perform their biggest hits.

Among some of the most peculiar performances was Chike’s live rendition of his 2020 hit song, Nakupenda, which he tweaked to have an Afrobeat vibe, as well as his most recent song dubbed, Follow You, which features Ghanaian superstar Gyakie, and is owned by Nigerian guitarist, Fiokee. Other performances such as South Africa’s DJ Tarico’s performance of his smash-ingle dubbed, Yaba Buluku, which also features Burna Boy.

As the show gears for its finale tomorrow, there is much anticipation for an enchanting performance by the Afrobeat royalties, Femi, Made and Seun Kuti. So far, the show has been aired on DSTV’s Channel 198, as well as on the Felabration’s Instagram platform @Felabrationng