Lagos, Nigeria’s cultural heartbeat, has opened its doors to a major exhibition celebrating the life, music, and activism of the late Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Anikulapo Kuti. The event, titled “Afrobeat Rebellion,” officially opened on Monday, marking a homecoming for the icon often hailed as the “Black President” and “King of Afrobeat.”

Organised by the French Embassy in Nigeria in partnership with the Kuti family, the exhibition expands on an earlier edition held in Paris in 2022. Its opening coincides with the annual Felabration Festival, a week-long celebration of Fela’s enduring influence, held every October in his honour.

“It feels special to bring this back to where it all began,” said architect Papa Omotayo, one of the exhibition’s curators. “Beyond the Paris show, this version includes artefacts sourced locally from Nigerian collectors, offering deeper cultural context.”

Curated as an immersive, multi-sensory journey through Fela’s world, the exhibition recreates spaces such as the famed Kalakuta Republic commune and the Afrika Shrine, combining archival photographs, personal items, and multimedia installations, all set to a pulsating Afrobeat soundtrack.

Fela’s revolutionary sound — a fusion of jazz, funk, and African rhythms — defined the 1970s and became a global movement. His creation, Afrobeat, later evolved into afrobeats (with an “s”), a contemporary offshoot that powers the global rise of stars like Burna Boy, Davido, Tems, and Rema.

But beyond his music, Fela was a fearless critic of Nigeria’s military rulers. His Pan-Africanist and socialist ideals made him a target of repeated arrests and violent crackdowns. The most infamous came in 1978, when soldiers raided his home, burned it down, and fatally injured his mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, a respected feminist and anti-colonial activist.

“Fela is revered abroad like a saint, yet at home, his true value is still not fully appreciated,” said his long-time friend Mabinuori Kayode Idowu. That may be changing — the Lagos State government has endorsed the exhibition, marking a rare moment of official recognition 28 years after the musician’s death.

A guest walks past a mural depicting Fela Kuti during the opening night of the Afrobeat Rebellion: Fela Anikulapo Kuti exhibition at the Ecobank Pan-African Center in Lagos, on October 12, 2025. (Photo by OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP)

A guest walks past vintage posters and concert flyers displayed on a wall at the Afrobeat Rebellion: Fela Anikulapo Kuti exhibition during the opening night at the Ecobank Pan-African Center in Lagos, on October 12, 2025. (Photo by OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP)

A guest views art pieces of the Afrobeat Rebellion: Fela Anikulapo Kuti exhibition during the opening night at the Ecobank Pan-African Center in Lagos, on October 12, 2025. (Photo by OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP)

A guest stands in front of the introductory text of the Afrobeat Rebellion: Fela Anikulapo Kuti exhibition during the opening night at the Ecobank Pan-African Center in Lagos, on October 12, 2025. (Photo by OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP)

A guest in the Afrobeat Rebellion: Fela Anikulapo Kuti exhibition during the opening night at the Ecobank Pan-African Center in Lagos, on October 12, 2025. (Photo by OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP)
According to Omotayo, the show aims to “interrogate the man behind the myth,” exploring Fela’s contradictions and complexities. Visitors at the opening night described the experience as deeply emotional.

“It’s like watching history breathe again,” said Chidimma Nwankwo, a culture promoter. “I even discovered that Fela was related to Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka — something I never knew before.”

Fela’s daughter, Yeni Kuti, who now manages the New Afrika Shrine, said the exhibition provides an opportunity to introduce younger Nigerians to her father’s ideals of resistance, resilience, and creativity.

“Work hard, be resilient, and you’ll be remembered after you die,” she said. “Fela believed in a Nigeria that served its people. We may no longer be under military rule, but we still have a long way to go to realise that dream.”

For many visitors, Afrobeat Rebellion is more than a tribute — it is a reminder of the ongoing relevance of Fela’s message in a country where, despite its cultural vibrancy, more than half the population still lives in poverty.

“I hope this opens the eyes of the youth,” said Idowu, “so they can see what Fela stood for — and find the courage to do great things like he did.”