Finding Fela!

Fela Kuti was the leader of the band Africa 70 and pioneer of Afrobeat. He was an anti-corruption activist who was imprisoned several times by the Nigerian government and was married to around 27 women. He also kept a harem of mistresses. Fela employed an Ghanaian gentleman as a spiritual guide who went by the name of “Professor Hindu”. He believed he had transcendent powers which could cure disease and make money seem invisible to customs agents.

Director Alex Gibney, who has strong documentary form with We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks and The Armstrong Lie has made a well-researched piece that contains some interesting facts. However, instead of a factual piece about a musical folk hero, Gibney presents the film as a weird hybrid of documentary and 'making of' documentary, with the inclusion of many scenes from 2009 Broadway musical Fela!, mixed with references about the musician which feel out of place. This is particularly noticeable when the musical scenes are blended with the documentary aspect involving the death of his mother.

For a musician who was revered by his peers, there is very little input from actual musicians apart from a brief clip of Paul McCartney. Fela is an interesting subject for a documentary, but he is also highly unlikeable, especially with his attitudes regarding women, which he held despite being a son of an outspoken feminist advocate.

A well-made documentary with fantastic music is let down by a long running time and scenes which do not add anything that give the audience any further informative information regarding Fela. At a shorter length this could have been as good as Gibney's other work.