Coffin for Head of State
Background edit
On 18 February 1977, a thousand Nigerian soldiers surrounded Fela Kuti's communal compound, Kalakuta Republic as a result of the release of his 1977 album, Zombie where he criticises the Nigerian Government and attacks Nigerian soldiers likening them to metaphorical zombies for obeying instructions blindly. The buildings in Kalakuta Republic were burned down and Fela and his brother, Beko were beaten. His mother was thrown from a second floor window leading to severe injuries and her eventual death from her injuries in April 1977. Following the death of his mother, Fela Kuti delivered a coffin representing his mother to Dodan Barracks, the official residence of the then military Head of State, Olusegun Obasanjo.[1][2] "Coffin for Head of State" was written as a result of these occurences. The song was released as a 22 minute recording in two versions; one with vocals and an instrumental. In the song, he narrates the story of the invasion of Kalakuta Republic singing "Them burn my house too/Them kill my mama" and on the visit to Dodan Barracks, he sings "We go Obalende, we go Dodan barracks, We reach them gate o, We put the coffin down"[1]
The album cover is a depiction of the delivery of the coffin to Dodan Barracks.[1]
Production and release edit
Personell edit
Horn - Tony Allen
Reception edit
References edit
- ^ a b c Terich, Jeff (2020-02-21). "Fela Kuti's "Coffin For Head of State" is life or death protest music". Treble. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
- ^ "The Top 150 Albums of the '70s". Treble. 2019-08-12. Retrieved 2021-09-11.