How Fela's Kalakuta Republic Got Its Name

The story of how Fela Kuti's Kalakuta Republic got its name was recounted to me by Rilwan "Showboy" Fagbemi in our second interview at the New Africa Shrine in Lagos on June 7, 2012.

Ron: So what are we going to talk about today? 

Showboy: Part of my Kalakuta experience. We all talk about Kalakuta but not all of us know how we came about Kalakuta. Because that name was the name that we got from the police cell, from detention. I remember it well, it was in early '74. 1974. You know, we were at Fela's house, at 14A Agege Motor Road...so one day, there was this guy who was passing by. They had been searching for his kid sister for some weeks, they never knew where she was; they were looking for her all over Lagos until this guy, he was passing by Fela's house and he saw his junior sister walk out of Fela's house. The girl was very afraid of him, he was like an oppressor to her, so whenever she sees him she lose control of herself because you know, the fear in her. This guy called her and said "Where have you been all these days?" He started beating her. And in our own house we have a law that says you do not beat women, whatever she does, come and report her, she may be punished more than what you expect but don't touch her. So this guy, supposed to be a strange boy, was beating one of the inhabitants of the house and the boys at the gate and some of the gate men they rushed there, they beat the hell out of him, they beat the shit out of him. He ran away. They rescued the girl and the girl went back to the house. 

So 24 hours later this woman came with the boy claiming, asking, she wants to see Fela, she is the mother of that girl in Fela's house, that she has been searching for her daughter for the past three months, nobody knew the daughter was living in Fela's house. So when she came they told her Fela was sleeping, that she should come back. When she came back this woman told Fela "I am searching for my daughter Folake." And in the house we have two Folake. We have Folake Oladenge and one Folake Oladego. 

So Fela said, "OK, your daughter in my house? Call all the girls." So Fela said, "You are looking for your daughter in my house, call all the girls in the house." They called everybody. "Madam, where is your daughter?" She looked round and said "That is my daughter." So Fela asked the girl, "Is that your mother?" She said "Yes but I don't want to go with her. They are maltreating me, that's why I left the house." Fela said "You heard her, I didn't put an advert sign outside that I am in need of women in my house or anybody in my house. My house welcomes anybody who comes to my house, nobody is invited but anybody who comes is welcomed, he or she is welcome." The woman said she is the wife of a police commissioner and the girl blah blah...Fela said "You heard what the girl said. Yes, you are her mother but she doesn't want to go with you. Do you want me to chain her and hand you the rope so you can drag her home by force or what? I can't do that." That was how the woman left. 

The next day, the next morning, at about 6:00 AM, we saw about 45 policemen. They surrounded the house but they didn't touch anybody. People were going in and coming out. They didn't say anything. Nobody knew their intention or what they had in mind or what plan is next, you know. So people were going, doing their normal business, going in and out as usual. So at about 1:45 (PM) we heard the sirens blaring from far away WAH WAH WAH WAH WHOA WHOA WHOA WHOA WHOA WOOOOO. 

When they got closer to our house we got to know that there were lorry fulls of riot policemen led by the father of one of the girls, the police commissioner. They came to the gate: "Mr. Kuti open your door." Fela said, "I need to see a search warrant." They say "You will open the door or we will force it." They couldn't force the gate open and the house was, you know, we had barbed wire that surrounded the house and all the barbed wire was nailed on some 4 x 2 inch wood so they didn't know how to break in. They now sent some of the policemen to go and buy cutlasses. They started chopping the sticks so they could break into the compound. Fela was standing looking at them. By the time they succeeded at cutting one side, they started jumping into the compound, started making arrests. They threw more than 250 canisters of tear gas, to the extent within this length from where he is sitting (across the table) to here you wouldn't see anything other than white, to tell you how many canisters of tear gas they already shot into the compound.

(to be continued)