After a successful run in Lagos, the critically acclaimed musical, Fela and the Kalakuta Queens, opened in Abuja on Friday June 8, 2018, courtesy of the MTN Foundation and Bolanle Austen-Peters Production (BAP).
Fela and The Kalakuta Queens is a demonstration of the rich cultural heritage that Nigeria is blessed with. The play, which tells the story of legendary musical icon and activist, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, reveals the sensational life of the world-renowned queens of Kalakuta, unmasking common misconceptions about them.
The story of Fela and his Kalakuta queens is a compelling musical narrative of the honest and incomparable love and connection the icon had with his dancers (queens), who left their homes to follow him, believing in his vision of building a better community through arts and music.
Despite the inmeasurable value that can be attributed to arts and culture, over the years, there has been a dearth in the support of the arts in Nigeria, The situation is gradually improving with brands like MTN consciously taking steps to reinstall and inspire interest in the learning of arts and culture.
The Foundation’s chairman, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, at the opening show, stated that MTN Foundation, through its different activities seeks to bring to the fore our rich cultural diversity.
The Foundation has continued to express its support for Nigeria’s arts and culture through commitments like Saro the Musical, Waka the Musical, and also the recently acclaimed Nigerian Universities Theatre Arts Festival (NUTAF) in Jos, which is geared towards promoting cultural orientation and empowering the youths; to enhance talent and creativity.