Fela & Africa 70 - Kalakuta Show (Vinyl)

Description

Fela tells the story of the first large-scale police raid on the Republic of Kalakuta, on November 23, 1974. After the drug quad raids that spring (documented in previous albums Alagbon Close and Expensive Shit), Fela had a ten-foot-tall barbed wire fence around constructed the compound and stationed guards at the gate. “There were so many robberies,” he said years later. "You can't count how many times they beat my people, in my house, on the street." The defense was insufficient to repel a force of around 70 police armed with tear gas, machetes, wire cutters and axes. Under the pretense of looking for a young woman who Fela was falsely (and quite ridiculously) claimed to have kidnapped, they stormed the premises. After throwing gas canisters into the buildings and forcing the inmates to leave, they preyed on anyone they could catch, beating men and women alike. Reissued for the first time as part of Fela Kuti Box Set #5, curated by Chris Martin & Femi Kuti in 2021.