Modupe Gbadeyanka
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The 2021 edition of Felabration, a one-week annual festival of music and art commemorating the late Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, will be bigger and better with Rite Foods Limited as the sponsor, taking into cognizance the legacy the music icon has left behind for posterity.
Felabration, which holds yearly from October 11 to 17 at the New Afrika Shrine in Ikeja, Lagos, was conceived in 1998 by Yeni Anikulapo-Kuti in celebration of life and times of her late father, Fela, who was also a human rights activist.
According to the organisers, this year’s theme is Viva Nigeria Via Africa and will be packed with exciting activities to make it memorable.
Commenting on the sponsorship, the Managing Director of Rite Foods Limited, Mr Seleem Adegunwa, said the late Afrobeat king embodied justice, courage, and hope for the people during his lifetime and deserves to be celebrated.
Mr Adegunwa posits that the Truly World-Class and innovative company with the I CAN I AM mentality will continue to identify with well-meaning initiatives like Felabration, which continually renews what the late megastar stood and fought for during his lifetime.
He stated that the leading food and beverage company would use the entertainment platform to provide maximum refreshment to music lovers, with its 12 Bigi variants of carbonated soft drinks, Bigi Table water, Fearless energy drink brands, and Rite sausages, that has set the pace in the Nigerian market.
Its contribution to the memorable event will include a posthumous award for the late Afrobeat king, who was at the forefront against injustice, inequality, and other depravities.
The beautifully designed award would be part of the company’s posthumous honour for the megastar, who left an indelible mark in the entertainment industry and earned global recognition for his unrivalled stage performance in his genre of music.
The Fearless brand resonates with Fela’s positive energy of fearlessness, positivity, and can-do spirit. Fearless is the leader in the energy drinks market, just like Fela was the global musical icon during his lifetime.
Activities to mark Felabration include Afrobics dance competition, a show where contestants will compete by showcasing afrobeat dance moves with any song of their choice from any of Fela’s songs, like “Colonial Mentality,” “Teacher No Teach Me Nonsense,” “Mr Follow Follow,” “Zombie o Zombie,” among others.
Others include schools’ debate with the topic COVID 19 is a Blessing The National Question Devolution or Evolution for the Felabration Symposium, with the moderator/chairman Femi Falana amongst prominent speakers like Senator Shehu Sani.
