Fuji music, originating from Nigeria, has mesmerized music enthusiasts with its melodic landscapes and rhythmic beats for over sixty years.
Founder of FUJI: A Opera, Bobo Omotayo delves into the roots and cultural significance of Fuji, at The Africa Centre, celebrating its profound impact on the global music industry.
Set against the backdrop of Western music and identity-seeking, Fuji, as the only truly indigenous Nigerian genre, captured the essence of everyday life for the Yoruba people, becoming an all-encompassing and ever-evolving musical phenomenon.
Emerging in 1940s Lagos Island as part of a folk music tradition for Islamic worshipers known as “Were/Ajisari,” Fuji became an integral aspect of the community’s religious and cultural practices. Over time, “Were/Ajisari” music gained momentum through local competitions, catching the attention of local kings who organized events to fuel the creativity of its aspiring artists, leading to iconic, forward-thinking musicians like Dr. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister and King Wasiu Ayinde who fearlessly experimented with the sound.
FUJI: A Opera.
Bobo Omotayo’s deep passion for Fuji music inspired the groundbreaking FUJI: A Opera exhibition, a multi-dimensional entertainment platform that deconstructs the genre’s past, traces its evolution over the last 7 to 8 decades, and reimagines it for a new generation of music enthusiasts and culture aficionados. The 10-day exhibition also highlights how Fuji evolved to become the reference sound for the contemporary Nigerian music phenomenon known as Afrobeats.
Featuring rare archival recordings, never-heard-before demo tapes, iconic genre costumes, and cherished memorabilia, the exhibition showcases Fuji music’s unique identity, owed in part to the use of locally crafted instruments like the Baba Legba, Agidigbo, Agogo, Omele, and Gan Gan, ingeniously created in Nigeria.
The exhibition warmly invites all visitors to journey through the past, grasp the essence of the present, and embrace the promising future of Nigerian music. It celebrates Fuji’s rich cultural heritage, fostering connections among diverse African communities.
Save the dates, August 18-28, and join Bobo Omotayo at The Africa Centre (include link) to revel in this extraordinary cultural experience.
For a taste of what to expect at the exhibition, listen to the playlist below:
Dr. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister
– Fuji Garbage (1988)
– Fuji Worldwide
– Dimensional Fuji
Alhaji Ayinla Kollington
– Ijo Yoyo
– Lalakukulala
– Fuji Ropopo
K1 De Ultimate
– Talazo System & Talazo 84
– Show Color Medley
– Oluaye in Berlin
– Orin Dowo
– Omo Niger
– Ade Ori Okin
Adewale Ayuba
– Bubble (Bonsue Fuji)
– Ijo Fuji
– Koloba Koloba
Alabi Pasuma
– Recognition (1992)
– Omo Ologo
– MMM
Obesere
– OBTK (Part 1)
– Omorapala Overthrow (Part 1)
Saheed Osupa
– Vanakula
– African Beauty/ Womi
KS1 Malaika
– Super Star
– Ose Olohun
Sefiu Alao Adekunle
– Fesin Romi Lorun
Igwe Remi Aluko
– Baba Be, Pt. 1
Shanko Rasheed
– Agreement (Side 1)
Seyi Vibez
– Fuji Interlude
Q Dot
– Gbeja (ft. Pasuma)
