Music must awaken people to do their duty as citizens and act.
Fela KutiRead
The human spirit is stronger than any government or institution.
Interpretation
The resilience of individuals surpasses the power of governments and institutions.
This quote by Fela Kuti emphasizes the inherent strength and resilience of the human spirit in the face of oppression, bureaucracy, and authority. It suggests that no matter how powerful a government or institution may be, they cannot diminish the will and determination of individuals to strive for autonomy, freedom, and justice.
In practice
In a speech about social justice and activism, one could say, 'As Fela Kuti said, the human spirit is stronger than any government or institution.'
Music must awaken people to do their duty as citizens and act.
The rhythm, the sounds, the tonality, the chord sequences, the individual effect of each instrument and each section of the band - I'm talking about a whole continent in my music.
I'm playing deep African music.
The art, the greatness of the music, the experience of the music is what I'm about. I think most African artists have destroyed their artistry by commercialization, and I don't want to belong to that bag.
My message was 'Think African. Make schools read African history.'
Music is a weapon of the future / music is the weapon of the progressives / music is the weapon of the givers of life
You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor.
[Speaking] is never without fear; of visibility, of the harsh light of scrutiny and perhaps judgment, of pain, of death. But we have lived through all of those already, in silence, except death. And I remind myself all the time now, that if I were to have been born mute, and had maintained an oath of silence my whole life for safety, I would still have suffered, and I would still die.
What makes climbing great for me, strangely enough, is this life-and-death aspect. It sounds trite to say, I know, but climbing isn't just another game. It isn't just another sport. It's life itself. Which is what makes it so compelling and also what makes it so impossible to justify when things go bad.
I was never afraid of failure after that because, I think, coming that close to death you get kissed. With the years, the actual experience of course fades, but the flavor of it doesn't. I just had a real sense of what choice do I have but to live fully?
I am not happy that I am sick. I am not happy that I have AIDS. But if that is helping others, I can at least know that my own misfortune has had some positive worth.
Soyons fermes, purs et fidèles ; au bout de nos peines, il y a la plus grande gloire du monde, celle des hommes qui n'ont pas cédé. [Let us be firm, pure and faithful; at the end of our sorrow, there is the greatest glory of the world, that of the men who did not give in.]
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