{"product_id":"fela-music-is-the-weapon-the-bold-biographical-graphic-novel-of-nigerias-legendary-afrobeat-king-and-activist","title":"Fela: Music Is the Weapon – The Bold Biographical Graphic Novel of Nigeria's Legendary Afrobeat King and Activist","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eA spectacular graphic novel about the life and times of the legendary Fela Kuti—the Pan-African frontman, multi-instrumentalist, sociopolitical powerhouse, and father of Afrobeat.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn this bold and striking graphic novel, artist Jibola Fagbamiye and writer Conor McCreery team up to tell the remarkable origin story of one of Nigeria’s most famous sons, the King of Afrobeat, Fela Kuti, who rose to superstardom with his band Africa 70 in the 1970s, during a charged political period for his nation.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA once-in-a-lifetime musical talent who innovated the musical genre Afrobeat, Fela was also an outspoken critic of the Nigerian military regime. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eFela \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003efocuses on a pivotal moment in his life, when he and his mother Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, the renowned Nigerian suffrage activist, were ruthlessly attacked in their own home by soldiers who suffered no repercussions for their violence. It also explores Fela’s complex relationship with women, including his mother and Sandra Izsadore, the American singer and activist who revitalize and inspired him. Over the course of his life, Fela married 27 women, fathered numerous children, and founded the Kalakuta Republic commune, where he and his band lived, declaring themselves independent from military rule.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAs rich and original as\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eits subject, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eFela \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ecomplements the historical with the surreal, featuring parallel dream world sequences, set between this realm and the next, in which Fela receives visions about his future and the dangerous path he will have to walk.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eChronicling Fela’s perilous journey to capture his destiny—to become the King of Afrobeat, and to advocate for Pan-African unity in the face of European imperialism and white supremacy—this masterful biographical graphic novel celebrates this enduring legend and his legacy, offering inspiration for our own troubled time.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"a-section a-spacing-small a-padding-small\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eJibola Fagbamiye\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is a visual artist based in Toronto. His work draws inspiration from his two great loves: African history and North American pop culture. Jibola has exhibited in galleries in Toronto, Los Angeles, and Lagos, and his work has been featured on AfroPunk, Toronto Life, ByBlacks, and BlogTO.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eConor McCreery \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eis a former journalist turned comics scribe. He has written \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eAssassin’s Creed, Sherlock Holmes vs Harry Houdini, Adventure Time, Regular Show\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, and has worked for many of the industry's top publishers including DC, IDW, BOOM!, Titan, and Dark Horse. He lives in Toronto with his wife and three children.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"a-unordered-list a-nostyle a-vertical a-spacing-none detail-bullet-list\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-list-item\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eLanguage ‏ : ‎ \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEnglish\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-list-item\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003ePrint length ‏ : ‎ \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e384 pages\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-list-item\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eItem Weight ‏ : ‎ \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e1.83 pounds\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-list-item\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eDimensions ‏ : ‎ \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e6.5 x 1.08 x 9 inches\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51485867114735,"sku":null,"price":48.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0060\/8134\/7702\/files\/Screenshot_10-11-2026_12117_www.amazon.com.jpg?v=1794330689","url":"https:\/\/schomburgshop.com\/products\/fela-music-is-the-weapon-the-bold-biographical-graphic-novel-of-nigerias-legendary-afrobeat-king-and-activist","provider":"The Schomburg Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}