ACghigo, Aug 10, 2010
The Best of the Black President [album first released in the United States in 2000
-snip-
"The Black President" was one of the nicknames for Fela Kuti.
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Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post presents some biographical information about Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and showcases his 1975 song "Water No Get Enemy".
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Fela Anikulapo-Kuti for his musical legacy and thanks to his bands. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
Hat tip to Denise Oliver Velez for her Oct. 15, 2023 dailykos post "Black Music Sunday: Celebrating Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and the birth of Afrobeat" for inspiring me to re-visit that song on pancocojams. Click https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/15/2197807/-Black-Music-Sunday-Celebrating-Fela-Anikulapo-Kuti-and-the-birth-of-Afrobeat for that post daily kos post and its comments..
Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/03/african-proverbs-information-text.html for a 2014 pancocojams post entitled "African Proverbs (information, text examples, and music example)". That post features a YouTube sound file of Fela's "Water No Get Enemy" as well as a comment from that sound file's discussion thread. Unfortunately, that discussion thread is no longer available.
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SOME INFORMATION ABOUT FELA ANIKULAPO- KUTI & AFROBEAT MUSIC
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fela_Kuti
"Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun
Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938[1] – 2 August 1997), also known as Abàmì Ẹ̀dá,
was a Nigerian musician, bandleader, composer, political activist, and
Pan-Africanist. He is regarded as the King of Afrobeat, a Nigerian music genre
that combines West African music with American funk and jazz.[2] At the height
of his popularity, he was referred to as one of Africa's most "challenging
and charismatic music performers".[3] AllMusic described him as "a
musical and sociopolitical voice" of international significance.[4]
[...]
Music
Kuti's musical style is called[44] Afrobeat. It is a style
he largely created, and is a complex fusion of jazz, funk, highlife, and
traditional Nigerian, African chants and rhythms. It contains elements of
psychedelic soul and has similarities to James Brown's music. Afrobeat also
borrows heavily from the native "tinker pan".[45] Tony Allen, Kuti's
drummer of twenty years, was instrumental in the creation of Afrobeat. Kuti
once stated that "there would be no Afrobeat without Tony Allen".[46]
Kuti's band was notable for featuring two baritone saxophones when most groups only used one. This is a common technique in African and African-influenced musical styles and can be seen in funk and hip hop. His bands sometimes performed with two bassists at the same time both playing interlocking melodies and rhythms. There were always two or more guitarists. The electric West African style guitar in Afrobeat bands is a key part of the sound, and is used to give basic structure, playing a repeating chordal/melodic statement, riff, or groove.
Some elements often present in Kuti's music are the call-and-response within the chorus and figurative but simple lyrics. His songs were also very long, at least 10–15 minutes in length, and many reached 20 or 30 minutes, while some unreleased tracks would last up to 45 minutes when performed live. Their length was one of many reasons that his music never reached a substantial degree of popularity outside Africa. His LP records frequently had one 30-minute track per side. Typically there is an "instrumental introduction" jam section of the song roughly 10–15 minutes long before Kuti starts singing the "main" part of the song, featuring his lyrics and singing, for another 10–15 minutes. On some recordings, his songs are divided into two parts: Part 1 being the instrumental, and Part 2 adding in vocals.
Kuti's songs are mostly sung in Nigerian Pidgin English,
although he also performed a few songs in the Yoruba language. His main
instruments were the saxophone and the keyboards, but he also played the
trumpet, electric guitar, and the occasional drum solo"...
-snip-
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti was from the Yoruba ethnic group of Nigeria.
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LYRICS FOR "WATER NO GET ENEMY"
(Fela Anikulapo-Kuti)
[Fela Kuti]
If you want go wash, a water you go use
T'o ba fe se'be omi l'o ma'lo
If you want cook soup, a water you go use
T'o ri ba n'gbona o omi l'ero re
If your head dey hot, a water go cool on
T'omo ba n'dagba omi l'o ma'lo
If your child dey grow, a water he go use
If water kill your child, na water you go use
T'omi ba p'omo e o omi na lo ma'lo
Ko s'ohun to'le se k'o ma lo'mi o
Nothing without water
Ko s'ohun to'le se k'o ma lo'mi o
Omi o l'ota o
[Chorus]
(Water, him no get enemy!)
Omi o l'ota o
(Water, him no get enemy!)
I say water no get enemy (Water, him no get enemy!)
If you fight am, unless you wan die (Water, him no get enemy!)
Omi o l'ota o (Water, him no get enemy!)
I dey talk of Black man power (Water, him no get enemy!)
I dey talk of Black power, I say (Water, him no get enemy!)
I say water no get enemy (Water, him no get enemy!)
If you fight am, unless you wan die (Water, him no get enemy!)
I say water no get enemy (Water, him no get enemy!)
I say water no get enemy (Water, him no get enemy!)
Omi o l'ota o (Water, him no get enemy!)
Omi o l'ota o (Water, him no get enemy!)
Online source: https://genius.com/Fela-kuti-water-no-get-enemy-lyrics
-snip-
The non-English words are in Yoruba. Their English translations which are part of the original lyrics for that song are sung immediately after their Yoruba lyrics.
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THE YORUBA PROVERB THAT INSPIRED FELA'S SONG "WATER NO GET ENEMY"
"Ifa was cast for Water when She was coming from Heaven to Earth. She was told to sacrifice to make her way open and clear. She heard and performed the sacrifice. Now, whereever Water goes, She makes a way for herself and She has no enemies. Anyone who makes an enemy of Water will not last long. There is no Life without Water." Odu Ifa
-quoted by GoddessofLight12, 2011 the no longer available discussion thread for https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au6VesDZrzk published by NoBorders Campos, Feb 2, 2011; summary: "Collected pictures from all around to make this video for one of my all time favorite singers."Fela Anikulapo Kuti"may his legacy inspire a positive change in africa."
-snip- Explanation of the words "Ifa was cast": Quote #1 From https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/ifa-divination-board "Ifá divination is a Yoruba religious practice with its centre in south-western Nigeria. The word Ifá refers to the mystical figure Ifá or Orunmila, regarded by the Yoruba as the god of wisdom and intellectual development.
Ifá divination relies on a system of symbols. These are derived from throwing sets of palm nuts, and drawing on a divination board such as this. The symbols are interpreted by the Ifá priest."...
**
Quote #2 From https://guides.library.duq.edu/c.php?g=1318133&p=9693664 "AWO YORUBA:THE LANGUAGE OF IFÁ; GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN IFÁ DIVINATION" by Awo Fa’lokun Fatunmbi and Egbe Iwa Pele (retrieved Oct. 15, 2013)
Ifá - Wisdom of Nature, also refers to the traditional religion of Yorúbà
culture.
**
Ifá awo kokó - Bowl used to hold the palm nuts (ikin) used for Ifá
divination.
**Ifá Olokún - Praise name for the Spirit of Destiny (Òrúnmìlà) meaning;
"Diviner of the Sea." "
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ARTICLE EXCERPT ABOUT MEANING OF THE SONG "WATER NO GET ENEMY"
From https://afrobeatdrumming.com/looking-up-the-epic-tune-of-fela-kutis-water-no-get-enemy/
quoting Afrobeat Historian Chris May
" "From the brutalities exposed on 1974’s “Alagbon Close”
-named after the headquarters of the Nigerian Criminal Investigation Department
in Lagos- to the ridiculous. “Water No Get Enemy” took up the second side of
Fela’s 1975 album Expensive Sh-t* whose title track chronicles in hilarious
detail a failed attempt to charge him for possesion of weed – and ridicules the
police involved in the bust.
“Water No Get Enemy” has a less contentious, but for its
time no less thought-provoking lyrics. It’s based on a Yoruba proverb
concerning the power of nature. Live in harmony with nature, Fela advises, and
you will be live longer and wiser.
In “Water No Get Enemy” Fela also suggests that, if the
Nigerian political opposition work with nature, their ultimate victory is
assured.
The story behind Expensive Sh-t* album is telling evidence of
Fela’s determination to resist abuse of power by the Nigerian regime…"
-snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in that article.
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