Life of Fela Kuti celebrated in Polokwane

Bold, robust discussion filling the interior of a hidden space in the grey coldness of inner city Polokwane characterised a recent presentation of a book on the life of legendary Nigerian multi-instrumentalist Fela Kuti.
‘Fela: This Bitch Of A Life’ by Cuban-born author Carlos Moore was brought to a small Polokwane audience during Kuti’s birth month by publisher Rose Francis, who addressed those present at a local jazz club by sketching the background of Kuti’s existence as well as elaborated on her endeavours in the publishing industry. The book brought together members of the Timbuktu Book Club in Polo­kwane of whom co-host Nkateko Mnisi is a member, avid readers, book lovers and followers of the afrobeat pioneer.
TJ Mohale led the ensuing discussion that followed the presentation on the authorised biography of the man described as Africa’s musical genius.

Francis mentioned entered into publishing after a shift in mindset of limiting beliefs a little over ten years ago, because she had felt that as a strategist she was too chained to a desk and the whims of clients. To her it was time to live her own dream. She started her company, African Perspectives Publishing, because she wanted an African aspect and put African history at the centre of her life. It was the second biographical work they had, other than Don Mattera’s ‘Memory Is The Weapon’ set against the Sophiatown forced removals, she mentioned.
From it being written in the first person, one got a sense of eavesdropping, she explained. If you had to ask her why she chose the book, she said it was an alive narrative that depicted elements of the West African lifestyle, particularly in the Seventies and Eighties, which she as an African wanted to expose South Africans to as much as possible. The book was first available in Portuguese, then French and English. She didn’t know why other publishers didn’t see the opportunity for publishing the book, which was the same with the writings of Che Guevara but that she had the opportunity and grabbed it after Margaret Busby initially published the book in the United Kingdom. Francis described it as an African classic she wanted in her company. It was really essentially about black music, she further stated.
Mohale opened the discussion with the expression of the belief that sometimes music inspired events, and sometimes events inspired music but that Kuti did both. His life inspired some of the songs he wrote and some of the songs he wrote inspired his life in return, he said.
In an interview afterwards Francis told Polokwane Observer that of all the titles she had published thus far Che Guevara’s writings stood out among the other works she had published, for it was written by him and wasn’t somebody else’s interpretation giving the story of the Cuban revolution, the planning thereof and time during the revolution as well as the period that followed.
Considering the challenges posed by the industry she finds herself in, her message to other women wanting to take the bold step of going it alone was that changing times and technology allowed one to conduct business anywhere in the world and to get rid of debt to be lean and mean in order to be able to fly, she remarked. One had to roll with the punches as an entrepreneur, Francis added. Not everyone wanted to take those risks and she didn’t mind doing so, she reckoned by adding that her passion outweighed the risks.

To a question whether she regretted having published a book on a man she never met, she commented saying that she regretted playing the part of having dinner parties in a leafy city suburb during her married past while she could have met such interesting people.

Story and photos: YOLANDE NEL
>>observer.yolande@gmail.com

Featured photo: Publisher Rose Francis addresses her audience.