One can glean a little bit of Fela Kuti’s life from numbers: 27 wives, all of whom he married during the same ceremony, at the same time; 100 arrests; 46 studio albums. Quotes help too. One Nigerian newspaper referred to him as a “Marxist musical coup-plotter.” Another called him one of Africa’s “most challenging and charismatic music performers.” Kuti came to prominence in the 1970s with his band Africa 70. He was known for his silky smooth brand of afrobeats and his criticism of Nigeria’s military juntas. Early on, he founded the Kalakuta Republic commune around his property, which he declared as independent from military rule. He died of complications from AIDS in 1997. This podcast retraces the life, music, and rebellion of one of Africa’s most important artists. —Elena Clavarino