Felabration...Afrobeat revs up London, as Femi, Seun storm Notting Hill Carnical

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Femi and Seun Kuti performing on stage

The Notting Hill Carnival is an annual event that has taken place in London since 1966 on the streets of Notting Hill, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Held every August, the carnival is led by members of the British West Indian community and attracts around one million people annually, making it one of the world’s largest street festivals.

For this year, participants are in for what could be dubbed ‘Afrobeat Rumble’, as Femi and Seun, sons of late Afrobeat music legend Fela, are currently in London for the street party. The concert is part of activities to mark this year’s Felabration, a celebration of life and times of late Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo Kuti.

Femi Anikulapo-Kuti already departed Lagos on Wednesday August 23, to London where, alongside Seun, his younger brother, he will participate in the show scheduled for Monday August 28, 2017, between 10am-8pm, at the Emsile Horniman Pleasance Park on 12, Golborne Gardens, Kensal Road, London, W10 5DH.

Organised in conjunction with the Lagos State Government, the appearance of the two brothers will definitely be the main attraction at this year’s carnival even beyond the Felabration Park of the event. This is the first time the almost two decades old music project is showcasing at the London Carnival.

The Felabration Park at Notting Hill Carnival will parade the famous Femi Kuti’s Positive Force Dancers and a host of renowned Afrobeat Dancers worldwide, all choreographed by dance star and founder/executive producer of Felabration, Yeni Kuti. On the other hand, Seun Kuti, who just returned from an international music tour that lasted for months, will lead members of the Egypt 80 Band to the gig, where he will treat the audience to the best of his old and latest repertoire, as well as some vintage tunes of Fela. Some Afrobeat bands from across the globe are also expected to appear at the event, which will mark the 20th anniversary of Fela’s death.

Meanwhile, members of the Organising Committee have concluded plans to introduce new awesome contents to this year. Some of the new additions include A Life In A Day, a Tourists walk through Fela’s life route. There is also an Afrobeat Dancing Competition as well as A Fela Arts Competition. The event holds between October 9 and 15, in Lagos.

Conceived by Yeni Anikulapo-Kuti, eldest child/daughter of FELA, the event has brought together over the past decade, leaders and controllers of global music industry. It has also provided a platform for thinkers in Africa Philosophy to bare their minds on issues of Pan Africanism, Blackman’s Future and contemporary challenges of governance in Africa. Across the globe each year, about the same period, franchises replicate the festival in their territories. And each comes with individual peculiarities, without losing the brand’s essence. Such is the phenomenal status of FELA, worldwide.