"Welcome to the New Afrika Shrine." "Tonight Femi Kuti is going to be playing on stage his regular Sunday jump." "All Afro-beat lovers, music lovers from around the world come here to have a ball." "And a ball they have." "You're a white man, yeah, and I'm a black man!" "Africa, one love!" "Shoki oh!" "Femi oh!" "Femi has a show at 9:00." "But, being a good musician, he's doing the right thing:" "He needs to rehearse, do his voice training, play his sax, tune it before the show." "Even if you come on Monday, when we're not working, you'll still hear him playing his sax, his trumpet, maybe his keyboard... he does that all the time." "In the bathroom, he plays his trumpet!" "Hey, your tickets, bros!" "Your tickets!" "Femi live and direct!" "Brothers and sisters, welcome to a Sunday jump at New Afrika Shrine, and the last day of recording of our new album." "Anyway, say your feet come here all the way, in these times of trouble in our country, no money, no salary, no hospital, everything..." "So you come all the way from Apapa, Victoria Island..." "Fadeyi, Isale Awori, Ajuwon, Omole..." "And all over Lagos!" "We're delighted that you are here with us tonight." "You say: "They talk too much for Sunday jump", we're here to make you happy, give you the good vibes you deserve." "Yesterday dem tell us say" "Say today na we go gain" "So we struggle suffer dey" "For this new democratic change" "But the truth of the matter be say" "Them disguise another way" "To continue their crooked ways" "O yes dem bobo" "Dem bobo your mama" "Dem bobo your papa" "Dem bobo your granmama" "Dem bobo your granpapa" "Dem bobo the market women" "Dem bobo your journalist" "The human right activist" "In the name of democrazy" "We have about 2000 people on Tuesdays and Thursdays at rehearsals." "And it looks like many of them feel part of this place, feel like this is their home." "They feel like my life revolves around their life, they feel like they're part of what's going on here." "I just thought that if they feel part of it, why don't I make everything open?" "So that I have no secrets when I am writing a song." "Everybody's here while I do it." "I feel comfortable because of the life I'm living." "So..." "I know them, it's like a participation." "They're all like "What's on the next album?"." "All of you vote for it." "I'm confused myself." "Tell me what you'd love to say..." "Let me tell you..." "Can't Buy Me and Shoki, we want them on the album!" "What we can do for you is this:" "We can vote democratically." "Democratic elections!" "Yes!" "Put your pen away, and be practical." "And so we say:" "I say:" ""Shotan?" Yeah..." "Everybody loves Shotan." "No, so we cannot do that for all 18." "You'll choose." "What you can do is, you can go find your supporter's club." "Write an official letter:" ""This is what I want recorded..."" ""We contest your presidency!"" "You know you lost, even if you go to court!" "Go to court, you will see!" "You can even appeal!" "Yeni, can you explain what's going on?" "Some of us are protesting that our numbers didn't go in the charts." " You don't agree with the choice?" " No, not at all." "We're complaining about a special number:" "Can't Buy Me." "Who dat man talking to?" "Him think say him dey talk to fool" "Him work his way- to come near me" "Just to come disturb my peace" "Him ready to dash me many thing" "Him wants to buy my loyalty" "But he can't buy me" "Can't buy me" "Na so I dey watch am" "As him dey boast to me" "Na so I dey watch am" "As him dey yab to me" "Can't buy me!" "Who dat man talking to?" "Him start boast of him property" "Him get land here, Him get land there" "Him don get land for everywhere" "Him get 12 car Him get 10 house" "Him wants to buy my loyalty" "But he can't buy me" "Na so I dey watch am" "As him dey boast to me" "Femi, the voice of Africa!" "Ambassador of Africa!" "Your Majesty!" "His Excellency!" "Positive Force!" "Son of Fela Ransome!" "African president!" "Ambassador of Africa!" "You're the best!" "His Excellency!" "Let him through!" "We do not have to remind ourselves of the announcement of Shotan, also known by the name Shé wéré." "Do not throw any type of beverage, including..." "Chelsea, beer, Squadron, stout." "If you think I'm a squadron leader, all you have to do is go to the barracks." "Do not throw your Don Simon or Araga." "Whatever may be the drink, do not splash water on your fellow human beings, you wouldn't do it at home." "Can you throw it on your father?" "You can't." "If Tinunbu came here, you would be shaking." "As I was saying, do not!" "Do not throw water on him!" "Obviously you are too drunk to listen to my announcement, so, let us continue..." "Are you crazy?" "Have you lost your heads?" "Shotan, shotan, shotan" "We don tell you many times before" "Say na you go come to regret" "So the government of Obasanjo" "Go carry all of us go for hell" "You carry your ponpose self about" "You say you no want to hear" "Now everything don scatter for your face" "Senior mugo shotan o" "Shotan, shotan, shotan" "They enjoyed it, especially during Sunday jump." "Did you see how full it was?" "Everybody was happy, enjoying themselves, and jumping and everything, which is good." "And then they relax, you know?" "Because in Nigeria, life is not easy for anyone." "Cost of living, there's no lights, no water, the schools are poor..." "It's not easy." "The salaries aren't paid, pensions aren't paid, so everything isn't going smoothly." "We want to have somewhere you can sit, forget everything, go there for some time." "I think it's great." "Femi's doing a lot for them that way." "That's another way of getting to the people." "If he continues like that, there's no trouble." "There's no trouble in the Shrine when he's there." "Everything's cool and organized." "Whereas with Fela, it was tough." "There were always problems there." "There were always problems." "Education doesn't work, hospitals don't work properly, people are poor, police aren't paid..." "I mean, no security, life is totally a mess here." "The papers tell us a different story from the reality of our lives." "A lot of people are in pain here now." "Even me, I'm comfortable, but when you see so much poverty, how can you be happy?" "After 40 years of independence, there is no area in Nigeria where you have light constantly, water running constantly." "And we call ourselves independent?" "Independence means you're independent of asking for favors." "We can't say we are independent, because we are still relying on many things to keep our country going." "I wanna be free from all these yeye politics" "I wanna be free from all these yeye politicians" "I wanna be free from all these corrupt monsters" "Because of the ideals of Femi Anikulapo-Kuti, he has always found a positive way to project the black man." "We believe in Black Power, and that we can be trusted." "We want to convey that Africans can mind themselves properly." "We want to do away with the myths in black mentality that the black man can't do what he wants to achieve." "We're trying to say things can work in Africa, if our leaders do the right thing." "But most of all, if no one can do that, we should free ourselves." "I think that Femi has found a better way to project this and continue Fela's hope to project the black image right." "To try to create another way to see that things can work in black Africa." "I wanna be free from all these corrupt monsters" "Wey want to chop man" "The king is dead" "Na dem kookuma kill the king For political reasons" "Dem no fit talk as e be" "Oya back to politics" "Dem start to scheme For the same corruption and thief" "No plan for you and me" "When we dey sleep" "Dey dem dey meet to plan their evil strategies" "To control our resources" "African leaders" "And their foreign counterparts" "E bi like from these evil monsters" "We shall never be free" "I wanna be free I said every day" "Every night" "I ask myself" "Why, why, why" "Chee because Fela die" "That is why dem dey try to" "Confuse I and everybody mind" "Last Sunday, I had my beret." "It was stolen today." "What do they want?" " They stole my beret." " Sanctioned." "What do you mean, sanctioned?" "I told you they stole it!" "Did you hear him?" "I lent mine to him, over there." "They only gave me the shirt." "Isoko, anyone give you a beret?" "He said he doesn't have it." "I'm wearing Michael's beret." "I had a beret, last week." "Each time we go out in this uniform we hear people yell:" ""Femi's child!"" "Or "the Shrine boys!"" "They do recognize us as one of the "Shrine boys"." "Fela, himself has already made the Shrine popular for all the Africans." "So when his son took over for him, people respect him like they respected his father." "When we put on this uniform we look as if we're close to Femi." "It's hard for people to see Femi, so when we wear this uniform, they say "this is Femi's security"." "That's why we're proud to wear this uniform." "I'm proud to be working at the Shrine, I'll always be proud." "When I'm going home, a policeman will ask me:" ""Where are you coming from at this hour of the night?"" "I tell him I'm working security at the Shrine." "He asks if I have my ID card," "I tell him I don't have one." "This is the symbol of where I work." "As long as they can see this, they know that I work for Femi." "So they allow me to go." "If dem want to hear We go tell them plenty things" "If dem want to see We go show them many things" "Wey the African man Wey the African woman" "Find it very difficult to succeed" "Na today dem no say Mubotu no good" "She na today dem no say company no good" "See this African leaders" "Dem don kill all their people finish" "Look again Obasanjo don kill Nigerians" "No not Obasanjo and his padi paddies" "Dem dey try to give us different reason" "To tell us say Obasanjo no guilty" "Na today dem no say Charles Taylor no good" "Na today dem no say Mugabe no good" "My son Omorimade Afolabi Anikulapo-Kuti" "See those African leaders Rolari" "Dem don kill all their people finish" "As we ought to know the reason why" "The African man and the African woman find it difficult to su..." "Su..." "Because you like to drink beer too much!" "You like to suck breasts too much!" "You'd like to be sucking pussy too much!" "... Succeed!" "With the dancing... with the dancing, the anger, the suffering you still find joy and peace." "We're letting so much frustration out of our system." "And all that is a language, without talking." "There is communication on that." "I go to sleep," "I can wake up the next day, move forward without stress." "If my body's aching me or my girlfriend or..." "Why do we need to have stress?" "And I hope the people who come here have that same kind of vibe." "I mean, what is life?" "To have peace of mind, know what to do the next day, how to deal with life." "So if the Shrine can do that to everybody, or anybody," "I won't call it a church or mosque," "I'll just say it's life, Shrine." "I won't say God is here, God is not." "God is here, but He's everywhere." "I will not go under the umbrella of religion," "I'll make it spiritual." "It's limitless." "I will not say:" ""This is where to be", but "at least you can be"." "Keyboard!" "Yeah, I play the base guitar." "I dance." "He plays guitar." "I dance on stage." "I play the trumpet." "I play the shakers." "I'm a percussionist." "This is the band leader!" "If I can take this country, then Africa is settled." "Once there's a good government in 1 country, they'll be liberated." "Only one straight, progressive clean government that knows what it's doing." "No diplomacy, no compromises," "and no Marxism-Leninism, no capitalism." "Africanism!" "The time don come" "For me to talk" "Before I talk" "Make I thank everyone" "For the support You na give my family" "During our troubles" "You my friends Una dey with me" "Ninety-seven" "I shall never forget" "Ninety-seven" "The pain!" "The sorrow!" "The stress!" "I want to thank you my friends" "Jigbolo, Jijigbolo, Jigbolo!" "Oh Yes I remember" "The day all of us we gathered" "To pay our respect to the" "One and only Fela" "We carry am go him house" "Before him spirit go for Eledumare Palace I say" "Together we walka" "Carry Fela oh" "For those wey no know Na that dey them know" "Say the people Them love Fela oh" "Together we walka" "I've never seen anybody in this whole country or in all of Africa..." "Only 2 people are walking the streets of power:" "Nkrumah and my mother!" "That's what I'm talking about!" "All these dirty politicians who sit on their asses!" "The young and the old The strong and the weak" "The rich and the poor" "Them gathered to carry Fela" "Together we walka" "And then as we want start to relax" "We no know our problems" "Just start From nowhere we hear" "Cousin Fran just pass" "Just like that she die" "We start to wonder why" "Enough is enough" "The people start to talk" "The problems don too much" "Again as we start to relax and then suddenly we hear" "Na the matter of my sister 'Sola Come make all of us weak for body" "Again we ask ourselves why" "For she was too young to die" "As we dey cry Na so we dey try" "We dey struggle to save her life" "The doctors them dey lie" "Them want to get money to survive" "The thing wey dey pain me pass" "Na the way she suffer before she died" "Na so them dey cut Cut" "Dey chook Chook Making Experiment with human life" "Oh my sister 'Sola oh oh oh" "Ninety-seven" "Ninety-seven I shall never forget" "Oh yes I remember" "Music is the way for us." "Music is the thing of the future." "Music is the weapon of the future." "Femi takes care of everybody, street boys, everybody." "We live okay here." "In Nigeria, only Femi takes care of everybody." "He's concerned about poverty, concerned about corruption, the poor..." "In Nigeria he's a great man, Femi Anikulapo-Kuti, and he did many songs to let people know" ""this is what I'm trying to tell you people"." "So we have a lot of music to let you know what is going on in Nigeria and Africa." "Femi's making people know, and wants to know more." "If you want to know more, come to the Shrine." "That's all." "He's like a prophet who has come to make people realize..." "He's a prophet who makes people realize that they must fight for their rights, like one of his best tracks, Democrazy." "And now we realize that the government makes us mad, when you get mad, that's Shotan." "Shotan, it's like the destructive kid the mother didn't want to have." "That's what our government made us be." "But thank God, we have The Shrine, we have survival." "And we are ready to serve the true prophet." " Not true?" " It's true!" "We do something for ourselves!" "We want to move further," "We want to go to university!" "But our presidents only watch themselves, rule themselves." "And the country's getting worse and worse." "Prices always go up, food, people are dying!" "Food prices." "No light, no good education, no good nothing!" "Mr. President, we're begging you!" "We fight for our rights, man!" "We're fighting together, doing something for ourselves!" "For ourselves, for our lives!" "Femi Kuti tells us how to think for ourselves." "Because some people are millionaires, while the country is going bad, bad!" "The frustration is too much." "Sometimes when I'm walking I see the policemen beat people like dogs." "The policemen beat us like dogs." "Not true?" "It's true, man!" "The Afrika Shrine be my neighborhood" "Every night, I'm there at Afrika Shrine" "The ladies do as they like at the Shrine" "Everybody does as they like at the Shrine" "Every night they meet at the Afrika Shrine" "Neighborhood" "All Africans are my neighbors" "The ladies like my neighborhood" "The man we call Femi is a prophet." "We all serve him." "He's given us the message to keep the place clean." "We make sure it's clean." "We have found a survivor, we are pleased with him." "We are happy." "We are people from places like Ajegunle and Mushin, places where people go without eating." "We're here, we found survival with him." "We serve him." "That's why this place is clean." "If I leave for 5 minutes, this place will be messed up." "I must be here to make sure this place is clean." "So he'll be pleased with me, and I'll be happy he's pleased." "Bring me" "Bring me the man now" ""Shrine" means temple." "We're in the Afro-beat temple." "This is Femi's house." "He lives here." "His girlfriends take care of him, he makes music, his instruments are here..." "He goes downstairs, plays his concert, eats..." "What he's created here is incredible!" "He has what every musician dreams of having." "Everything at home:" "Music, instruments, the stage, the public..." "I believe right now there's so much energy here." "And you can manipulate this energy for you." "My role is taking the energy of music and transforming it into dance." "If I achieve that, it's a force." "Music is a powerful force." "I take that sound, truly, not trickery or lies." "I take that energy and go pow..." "And make people really go crazy." "How?" "It's magic." "People ask me how I did it, I don't know." "Because I do the right thing, that energy is using me as a medium to express many things through music." "Now that energy is a constant thing, 24 hours a day." "You can use that energy to understand, for many things." "Say you have a headache, somebody will be able to just touch your head, you'll feel a kind of ease because of the true love." "You take the energy:" ""You have a headache?" "Where?"" "And that person will have calm." "I beg live me" "No disturb me With nonsense gist" "The fine things of life These people don't see" "Their bad mind No gree make dem get better dream" "With their crooked legs Dem walka go redem" "But salvation comes from within" "Seek and ye shall find" "Definitely with music" "Whose rich harmonies and melodies" "Will truly bring peace" "All in the name of peace" "We fight and kill to find justice" "For me na only music" "From the voice of the soul we speak" "Wetin concern me with English" "Na dem koko greedy dem selfish" "My sisters" "They bank Africa money like the Swiss" "Oyinbo don kill Africa finish" "Femi, don't go!" "The son of Fela "Baba 70"." "Don't go!" "I think it's the most challenging place to compose." "If the Shrine people love it, then I'm not worried, really." "I'm not really worried, because I'm very critical of myself." "If I don't like it, if I don't feel something," "I will not continue the work." "After the completion of the Shrine," "I found that I was alone, and I just saw myself sinking deep into music." "And on getting where I am in life," "I found that the only friend I have, the only thing I can trust, is myself." "And it's difficult to really trust yourself." "You don't want to do something, then you do it." "The only thing I have confidence in, in my life, 100%, is music." "I only have faith in music." "Even if you don't give your life to music, music will take you over." "So, I just let myself go and wherever music takes me, so be it." "I have no worries concerning that." "I'm not sad." "I mean, I have peace." "Sometimes I look annoyed, it's things around me, or things people said." "I am a very happy man, very happy." "Sometimes I love being alone, I love being in my own world because this world is crazy." "I don't see anything in this world that makes sense." "You prefer to be alone?" "I feel safer that way." "Don't forget, I'm not alone in that respect." "I have the force of music, running like a wild fountain in my head." "That alone, I am never at peace." "And I love the feeling music gives me." "I'll never compromise that, for nothing in this world." "Nothing." "Not even myself." "I will starve myself for music." "No way, can never give it up." "Out of the way!" "Calm down!" "Out of the way!" "May your future be bright!" "Everywhere I go I see injustice" "In government and our nonsense policies" "Marxism, socialism, call it what you want" "Capitalism all na the same oppression dey" "Injustice, misuse of power na dem specialty" "Pretending they want to help the human race 1, 2, 3, 4" "Wetin dem dey wait for?" "5, 6, 7, 8" "Dem no say time no dey wait 1, 2, 3, 4" "Wetin dem dey wait for?" "5, 6, 7, 8," "Dem just dey waste our lives away" "The Shrine is the home of all things African." "I love Femi with all my heart." "Femi is a god in Nigeria." "Before dem get power Dem make promises" "When dem get power Dem start dem conspiracy" "Dem dey go dey bobo us, dem go dey post us" "You see now time don go, election come again" "In Africa we say only the lion borns the lion." "And if a lion borns a goat... there's a problem." "So, as the lion born the lion, the lion born the lion."