somehow the military was able to obtain a warrant for his arrest and they raided the republic. they had with them a cannabis joint they intended to plant on him. he discerned their plot and literally swallowed the joint whole. they then took him into custody where they intended to examine his feces. however, another inmate in the prison literally gave him their feces and he was released without charge or harm.
he then released this song called "zombie." it was a metaphor to describe the methods of the nigerian military. soon after the republic was raided and his elderly mother was thrown through a window sustaining fatal injuries. fela himself was beaten almost to death.
but he continued to speak out against the government and produce music which served as indictments of their corruption. in 1986 he would join bono and the neville brothers onstage at amnesty international's conspiracy of hope concert in new jersey.
in 1979 he even put himself forward for the nigerian presidency. it was the first presidential election they'd had in over a decade. he was denied the ability to run.
fela died of kaposi's sarcoma brought on by aids on august 3, 1997. while he had his share of flaws (some of his songs have strong misogynistic themes) he took art and music and used it to elevate social consciousness and to hold his government accountable to the ideas of human rights and justice.
what a beautifully, beautifully lived life.
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