NAME :AROWOJOLU HELLEN TOLULOPE

SCHOOL: AMBROSE ALLI UNIVERSITY

Course: NURSING SCIENCE

Level:500l

The Aiyeku Foundation and the Philosophy of Fela: the Same Visions of Service, Truth and Freedom

Fela Anikulapo Kuti is a hero in the history of Nigeria as a protest singer and an activist who turned out to be the voice of the downtrodden. His admixture of Afrobeat, jazz and funk served as an artistic, as well as revolutionary, movement to unveil social evils in the society, especially the corruption and oppression of the military regime in Nigeria. The ideology of Fela focused on truth, freedom, and service to the people which he depicted in his songs and through his own practice as well. Likewise, the Iyiola-Tolani Aiyeku Educational Support Foundation, created by Dr. Iyiola Ayeku adopts the same values. By awarding scholarships to underprivileged students in Nigeria, the Aiyeku Foundation realizes a vision of empowerment, truth, and social service and thereby perpetuating Fela in a new form.

Fela Kuti: A Revolutionary Philosophy

Fela had a philosophy of vicious independence and radical truth. He criticized military government and social systems of Nigeria as the perpetuation of inequality. He was prominent in his songs when he challenged the hypocrisy of ruling elite by calling them to account and pay up. His songs were used to awaken the society and this gave the underprivileged an avenue to speak their minds. To Fela truth was indisputable, he employed his songs to wage a personal attack on the political order. Songs like “Zombie” and “Sorrow, Tears and Blood” were explicit in their condemnation of government corruption, military brutality, and the suffering of ordinary Nigerians. Fela held fast to the imperative to speak the truth even though he was jailed and physically assaulted many times.

Alongside his commitment to truth was Fela’s dedication to freedom. He was convinced that the real liberation is not only a political state but also the state of mind and soul which should be developed. Fela also wished Africans to liberate their minds of the psychological burdens of colonialism that had inflicted the feeling of inferiority. His music was meant to revive awe of an African pride, self-determination and collective power. Fela did not just care about physical freedom but also about helping people get out of a mental slavery that could never allow them to fully explore their identity and potentials.

Fela was also a servant to the people in his thought. He considered his music as service, means of showing unjustice, promoting education of the masses, popularizing organizing collective efforts. His commune, the Kalakuta Republic, in Lagos, was an avatar of his radical notions, in which he made an experiment in adopting a form of community life founded on egalitarian, non-dependent and shared solidarity. There were no doubts as to Fela having a conviction that artists and other identities in a social realm were in a position to serve the people, be the purveyors of truth and revolt against the freedom which was being denied to the masses.

The Aiyeku Foundation: Empowering Through Education

The foundation that can be linked to Fela philosophy and his beliefs mainly is the Iyiola-Tolani Aiyeku Educational Support Foundation who was started by Dr. Iyiola Ayeku. Dr. The foundation was established by Ayeku, a Nigerian philanthropist based in the United States to solve educational issues of the disadvantaged students at the Nigeria country. The main agenda of the foundation is to award scholarships to deserving students who come out of the marginalised groups and particularly in Ondo state and Oke Ogun state in Oyo State. Through these scholarships, the Aiyeku Foundation aims at mitigating the economic constraints that deter most students to seek higher education and in the process attain their faculty and career goals.

The nature of service incorporated by the Aiyeku Foundation is illustrated by the central mission statement, which refers to offering support to students deprived of quality education. Quite similar to Fela, Dr. Ayeku sees in education the ability to change. He realizes that education is one of the doors to freedom, as people have a chance to overcome poverty and oppression. Under this initiative, the foundation is able to equip young minds with what they require to succeed, not only to their advantage but also to the betterment of their communities and the country, at large.

Dr. Ayeku says that education is the accomplishment not only of individuals but of society as well. Through investing in education of the young Nigerians, Aiyeku foundation is gradually building a generation of enlightened, aware and able young people who can make valuable contributions to the development of their own society. This mission aligns with Fela’s belief that education is one of the most powerful weapons for social change and liberation.

Similar to Fela, the Aiyeku Foundation puts much emphasis on the truth and integrity. The effort by the foundation in offering scholarships is based on the fact that education is a right and not a privilege. The Aiyeku Foundation scholarships are not merely a financial injection but an avenue through which such students will get a chance to discover the abilities within them, and acquire knowledge and relevant skills to make a change in their communities. Hereby, the aim of the Aiyeku Foundation towards education is transformed into the field of message delivery as well, changing the focus towards disseminating information about the value of education, self-improvement and the significance of educated individuals in existence of a better society.

Shared Values: Service, Truth, and Freedom

The two major core beliefs about the philosophy of Fela and Aiyeku Foundation labor, as a center, is the service to the people. Fela served the community through his activism and music, which he used to voice the ills that were affecting most of the people in Nigeria. His music has turned to be a struggle, a cry of freedom, and a voice that the people use to talk of what is irritating them and to speak of change. In a similar regard, the Aiyeku Foundation employs education as a platform to empower the people by giving them the avenue to execute their ambitions and contribute towards the perfection of society. Fela as well as Dr. Ayeku do understand that their role is to empower people through the real purpose of their work.

An ideal that Fela held steadfastly to can be seen in the desire that is held by Aiyeku Foundation to offer transparent and truthful degrees of support to the students. The work the foundation carries is based on the fact that education is an effective instrument of changing people and the society. Similarly to Fela trying to use his music as the means of revealing the truth, the Aiyeku Foundation will use the truth as the means of revealing what can happen when young people of Nigeria have the access to education. By providing scholarships, the foundation is specifically trying to take on the structural inequality that hinders the potentials of many students in Nigeria particularly those of underprivileged classes.

Another belief Fela and the Aiyeku Foundation have in common is freedom a lot of which is freedom to think, learn and develop devoid of poverty and oppression. To Fela, freedom was the capacity to express oneself without fear of punishment but to the Aiyeku Foundation, the definition of freedom to young people is the power to attain academic levels and realize potential. Examples of the kind of freedom that students can achieve through education as provided by the foundation would be the escape route to a particular socio-economic background.

Both Fela and the Aiyeku Foundation understand that true change comes when individuals are empowered to challenge the systems that oppress them. Whether through music or education, both seek to break down the barriers that hinder personal and societal progress. Fela’s music continues to inspire, while the Aiyeku Foundation’s scholarships provide the means for students to rise above the challenges they face. Together, Fela’s philosophy and the Aiyeku Foundation’s mission form a powerful synergy that embodies the transformative power of service, truth, and freedom.