By Joshua Olomu
Veteran showbiz maestro and foremost activist, Charles Oputa, popularly known as CharlyBoy, has paid tribute to late Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, following his posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports Recording Academy honours the Afrobeat pioneer with the Lifetime Achievement Award, 29 years after his death, making him the first African artist to receive such honour.
The award ceremony took place in Los Angeles on Saturday, the night before the main ceremony of the 68th Grammy Awards, with Femi Kuti and his siblings accepting the award on their father’s behalf.
The milestone has continued to generate accolades from Afrobeats lovers around the world, with many describing it as “win for African musicians, particularly voices that spoke against injustice and oppression’’.
NAN reports that CharlyBoy celebrated the late singer in a post on his social media page, descrbing him as “a fearless voice of the masses, who confronted injustice through music’’.
CharlyBoy wrote: “Fela no just wake up to live, he wake up to fight. Every morning na battle plan, every night na drum and sweat.
“Kalakuta be him country, him law, him refuge. No fence between life and message.
“He insult power with chest full, collect beating, prison, exile and still come back louder; For Fela, lifestyle na sacrifice; If body break, so be am.
He added: “Charly Boy burn different. No be wildfire, na controlled flame; Black clothes, piercings, bike roarm image sharp like blade.
“Fela choose chaos as language; Charly Boy choose symbolism.
“One sleep inside war, One walk through am with caution.
“But make nobody lie, both get fire; Both refuse silence.
“Both no bow…”
Born on June 19, 1950, Charles Oputa is the son of renowned former Supreme Court Justice, late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa.
He is a foremost singer-songwriter, television presenter, actor and producer, known for his alternative lifestyle, political views, and media productions.
He was the host of the popular “The Charly Boy Show’, a 2011 judge for the talent hunt show ‘Nigeria Idol’, and a former president of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria.
The “Areafada” as he is fondly called, is known as an advocate of the masses who fought for the rights of ordinary Nigerians and on several occasions tortured by security operatives for standing up to authorities.
In the mid-nineties, during military era CharlyBoy fought for the rights of military pensioners, by marching to the defence headquarters in Abuja to demand payment of their pension arrears.
In 2017, CharlyBoy led “Our Mumu Don Do’’ movement, and participated in a daily sit out protest alongside other activists.
The movement was to call on the late President Muhammadu Buhari, to resume office or resign after he had allegedly spent over 60 days outside the country on a health visit to the UK.
The maverick activist recently told NAN that plans were underway to unveil his memoir, “999’’, an intriguing story of his life’s journey so far.
He said the book is a “tell-it-all tale of how he fought personal wars, rebelled against and disowned his parents and married four times before he turned 36’’
The Septuagenarian said he initially aspired to become a priest, but left the seminary after one year.
.According to him, he opted for music and embraced the streets, dashing the high hopes of his father on him.
He said while his father was a legal luminary, he rebelled against parental interference in his career path with a determination to fight for the oppressed, a decision he paid dearly for, but never regretted.(NAN)
Edited by Rotimi Ijikanmi
