Listen to this when
Gentleman
No need to dress up as someone else 🥁
Who it's for
Fela Kuti wrote this as commentary on the colonial mentality of Africans who adopted European customs and clothing.
Pressured to assimilate→Proud of your roots
Feelings it meets
What it is
"Gentleman" is the title track of Fela Kuti's 1973 album with his band Afrika 70. Kuti wrote it to criticize Africans who adopt European customs and clothing, which he saw as a colonial mentality, questioning the habit of wearing heavy Western suits in the African heat. The album cover, showing a monkey's head on a suited body, illustrates the same theme.
Where to find it
All major streaming services.
Before you start
Age: All ages
Between me and the other world there is ever an unasked question:W. E. B. Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk
