NIGERIA: Nigerian-German artist takes on what's wrong with the world through music

Record ID: 235370

  • Title: NIGERIA: Nigerian-German artist takes on what's wrong with the world through music
  • Date: 24th November 2011
  • Summary: ADE BANTU WRITING SONGS BOOKS ON A SHELVE / BOOK ABOUT AFROBEAT LEGEND, FELA KUTI (SOUNDBITE) (English) ADE BANTU, SAYING: "We felt we are not American neither are we Jamaican although we have dreadlocks, but we have a unique situation here where we can fuse our European heritage, being German, my mum is from Germany, and our African heritage being Yoruba or Nigerian, our dad is Nigerian." VARIOUS OF BANTU TALKING TO FRIEND (SOUNDBITE) (English) ADE BANTU, SAYING: "In these liquid times when confusion reigns supreme everyone is trying to chase a pipe dream like headless chickens high on amphetamines, I see them trade their souls for anything green, it is all about cash, almighty naira, chop quick quick, may be think later, for now it is the fame that everyone is after no one is prepared to be his brother's keeper... and that kind of sums up what is going on here at the moment in Nigeria." FRIEND INSTALLING SOFTWARE ON COMPUTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) AKIN KONGE, FRIEND AND FILM DIRECTOR, SAYING: "He can go from a good soul sound to Afrobeat, to reggae, and he does it with a lot of class and puts effort in what he does."
  • Embargoed: 9th December 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Nigeria, Nigeria
  • Country: Nigeria
  • Topics: Arts
  • Reuters ID: LVA8ANBLBO73Q543EPC0ZWUPTD0Z
  • Story Text: Nigerian-German musician, producer and activist, Ade Bantu says he cannot run away from the inspiration for his music because it is part of who he is.
    From his father's home country Nigeria, corruption and poverty. From his maternal home, Germany, racially motivated violence and discrimination.
    Forty-year-old Ade Bantu's songs send messages against the ills of the societies he was raised in but also global issues.
    His describes his music as a combination of Afrobeat, hip hop, reggae and jazz. Bantu grew up in the dusty streets of Lagos, Nigeria surrounded by a variety of genres but he says his childhood love for music and activism was influenced by the late king of Afrobeat, Fela Kuti.
    Born Adegoke Odukoya, Ade Bantu says he and his siblings are children of many worlds.
    "We felt we are not American neither are we Jamaican although we have dreadlocks, but we have a unique situation here where we can fuse our European heritage, being German, my mum is from Germany, and our African heritage being Yoruba or Nigerian, our dad is Nigerian," he said.
    Bantu's father was killed by armed robbers in Lagos when he was 16. His traumatised mother moved the family to Germany but there the children faced daily discrimination because of their mixed race.
    Bantu was among many foreigners involved in the German hip hop music scene but the shocking murder of Alberto Adriano a Mozambican living in Germany by skinheads affected him immensely.
    He rallied black musicians in the country to set up the collective, Bothers Keepers group and recorded the song, "Adriano, the final warning."
    Bantu recently re-located to Lagos and has recorded a new album titled "No Man Stands Alone" with other leading Nigerian musicians.
    He was critical of the way of life in Nigeria and how people were driven by greed for money and power.
    "In these liquid times when confusion reigns supreme everyone is trying to chase a pipe dream like headless chickens high on amphetamines, I see them trade their souls for anything green, it is all about cash, almighty naira, chop quick quick, may be think later, for now it is the fame that everyone is after no one is prepared to be his brother's keeper... and that kind of sums up what is going on here at the moment in Nigeria," he said.
    But although Bantu said that life in Germany had all the trappings of luxury and fame, he preferred living in Nigeria which he believed was his real home.
    His music although different from the country's leading artists like D'banj or 2Face has already made an impact on the local music scene.
    "He can go from a good soul sound to Afrobeat, to reggae, and he does it with a lot of class and puts effort in what he does," said film director and friend, Akin Konge.
    Bantu has produced several albums including the award winning "Fuji Satisfaction" which earned him awards for "Best Group West Africa" and "Best Group Africa" at the Kora Awards, Africa's equivalent of the Grammys.
    He is married and has three children studying abroad.
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