Fela Anikulapo Kuti Afrobeat Rebellion opens in Lagos on 12 October 2025 with art, performances, workshops, films, celebrating his legacy

Fela Anikulapo Kuti Afrobeat Rebellion opens on 12 October 2025 at the Ecobank Pan African Centre in Lagos, bringing the acclaimed retrospective to the musician’s homeland in an expanded, community‑centred format that merges art, music, performance, film, workshops and children’s programming.

Also read: Felabration: Honouring Fela Kuti Amidst Nigeria’s Unchanged Realities

Originally developed by the Philharmonie de Paris, this Lagos edition is reimagined by A Whitespace Creative Arts Foundation, with strong support from the French Embassy in Nigeria and the Kuti Family.

“Our father’s legacy has travelled the world, but Lagos was always its heartbeat,” the Kuti Family said.

“Afrobeat Rebellion brings things unseen, his music, and everything Fela stood for to his people in Lagos. Not just to remember Fela, but to inspire a new generation to use art as resistance and freedom.”

The exhibition is designed as an immersive journey through Fela’s life, music and radical ideas.

Archival objects, photography, soundscapes and media installations will reconstruct spaces such as the Kalakuta Republic and the Afrika Shrine.

An interactive global map of influence is part of the exhibition.

Beyond visual displays, the exhibition features Legacy Programmes including live music, talks, studio sessions, cinema, children’s workshops and city‑wide activations.

This Lagos edition is unique in scale and ambition: it combines the curatorial depth of the original Paris retrospective with the authenticity of being staged where Fela lived, performed and resisted.

Over its 12‑week run, ending 28 December 2025, it intends to resonate across generations.

First staged in Paris in 2022, critics described the show as “a revolutionary tribute” (Euronews), “an echo of Fela’s unrelenting voice against oppression” (Radio France), and “a reminder that his Afrobeat remains as urgent as ever” (Slate).

Supporting the exhibition, Laurent Favier, the French Consul General in Lagos, called it “a celebration of Franco‑Nigerian collaboration and a cultural gift … while deepening the dialogue between our two nations.”

Curator Seun Alli emphasises the importance of context: “Too often, Fela is reduced to a handful of catchphrases … Curating Afrobeat Rebellion in Lagos is a deliberate refusal of this flattening … his work as a public intellectual remains deeply intertwined with Africa’s social, political and intellectual histories.”

Exhibition Highlights include:

• The archival rooms exploring Fela’s early years, Lagos life, Kalakuta Republic, Afrika Shrine, Life on Tour, Mapping Fela, and his legacy.
• Legacy Programmes: weekly talks, cinema, live music performances by musicians like Seun Kuti and Ezra Collective, workshops, and the Young Rebels’ Corner for children aged 6‑15.
• Opening night on 12 October with special performances.
• The exhibition runs Fri‑Sun (10:00‑18:00), with VIP/institutional access on Thursdays. Admission is free, but some events require RSVP.

Also read: Top Festivals You Should Attend in Nigeria for Culture and Celebration

As Fela Anikulapo Kuti Afrobeat Rebellion opens in Lagos, it promises to be more than a retrospective; it is positioned as a cultural season—alive, generational and transformative.