Felabration is set to return to Lagos in October with a question at the heart of this year’s celebration of Fela Anikulapo Kuti: “Who Are You?”
The annual festival, which honours the life, music and legacy of the Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer, will again bring together live performances, debate, dance, fashion and visual arts in a programme centred on the New Afrika Shrine in Ikeja.
The 2026 theme takes its name from one of Fela’s early recordings and puts questions of identity at the centre of this year’s festival. Yeni Kuti, Fela’s eldest child and founder of Felabration, has confirmed “Who Are You?” as this year’s theme.
Activities are already under way ahead of the main celebration. Auditions for emerging musicians, bands and DJs are scheduled for September 17 and 18 at the New Afrika Shrine, with successful acts selected to perform during Felabration.
The festival’s programme also includes its annual creative competitions, including the Afrobics Dance Competition, Art Competition and Dress Fela Fashion Competition. The fashion event is scheduled to culminate at Freedom Park in Lagos on October 10, with designers drawing inspiration from Fela’s image, style and cultural influence.
Other events traditionally associated with Felabration include the Fela Debates, school debates, exhibitions and cultural programmes alongside its nightly concerts.
Felabration was conceived by Yeni Kuti in 1998 as a tribute to her father, who died in 1997. It has since developed into an annual celebration of Fela’s music and the social and political ideas that shaped much of his work.
Fela created Afrobeat by blending African rhythms with jazz, funk and highlife, while using his music as a vehicle for political and social commentary. His songs frequently challenged military rule, corruption, inequality and abuses of power in Nigeria.
Over the years, Felabration has brought together Nigerian and international performers, including Femi Kuti, Hugh Masekela and Lucky Dube. In 2008, more than 50 international musicians took part in the festival through the African Express project.
Much of the festival is held at the New Afrika Shrine, which was opened in 2000 by Fela’s children Yeni and Femi Kuti as a venue dedicated to preserving and extending their father’s musical and cultural legacy.
The 2026 theme brings the festival back to a question that runs through much of Fela’s work — how people understand and define themselves within society and culture.
Nearly three decades after Felabration was conceived, the festival continues to introduce new generations to Fela not only as a musician, but also as a cultural and political figure whose influence remains visible across African music and public life.
