El Anatsui: Music, Change and Re-Invention

This showcase offers an exclusive glimpse at some of the musical influences that have guided El Anatsui to his position as one of the most sought after artists in Africa’s history. The monumental artist’s collection spans numerous genres and continents, and features artists including Nigerian musician and activist Fela Kuti; the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin; R&B sensation Gladys Knight & the Pips; jazz pianist Wes Montgomery; jazz trumpeter and bandleader Dizzy Gillespie; Cameroonian musician Manu Dibango; Greek singer Antonis Kalogiannis; Nigerian singer-songwriter King Sunny Adé; and Russian classical composer Peter Tchaikovsky.

“When I was in the university band, Fela visited the school and performed. This was when he was going around trying to introduce the idea of Afrobeat. During the break time, we played using their instruments and I remember the trumpet, that Fela, who was then a trumpet player, was playing with, I handled it, and there was a kind of energy you needed to get that trumpet going and I found out I didn’t have, but Fela had.”

“When I went to Nigeria, I made it a point anytime I visited Lagos that I would go to Fela Kuti’s Shrine, making sure it was a weekend, when you would meet Fela playing there. I remember that on my trips home to Ghana, I stopped over in Lagos and would go to the Shrine at midnight and listen to good music until dawn.” – El Anatsui quoted in ‘El Anatsui: Music, Change and Re-Invention’ written by Kwame Mintah.