Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Beyond Riots: Africa’s Fela Kuti and His One Man Political Protest in the Changing Global Order

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Palgrave Handbook of Africa and the Changing Global Order

  • 1058 Accesses

Abstract

While it is well established that the behavioural approach to politics identifies both the “individual” and the “group” as the primary units of analysis, the group is often the more prominent in the intellectual discourse of political protest. Rallies, demonstrations, strikes and riots thus become the dominant means often studied. But history is agog with records of individuals’ sustained protests against the political system, and such with equal and arguably greater impacts than what riots and other group actions do have. Using the case of Fela Anikulapo Kuti in Nigeria, this paper explores political protest from the perspective of the individual. Findings are that unlike the group case that is action based and episodic, individual protest often manifest in three interrelated yet different ways: potentialities, behaviour and action all of which can significantly shape the political environment at any given time. Could this be a contribution to scholarly debates and theories of political behaviour generally, and political protest in particular?

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 189.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Abend, G. (2008). The meaning of theory. Sociological Theory 26 (173–199). June.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ake, C. (1981). A political economy of Africa. London: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ake, C. (1985). The state in contemporary Africa. In Ake, C. (Ed.) Political economy of Nigeria. London: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, C. Y. (2007). The interaction structures and voters’ behaviors. In Dalton, R. and Klingemann, H. (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of political behaviour. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aljazera. (2020). News: 9 October.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anifowose, R. (1982). Violence and politics in Nigeria. New York: NOK Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anifowose, R. & Ofondu, N. (2001). The Political Socialization of the Youths in Nigeria. In Anifowose, R., & Olugbemi, S. (Eds). The youths and national development in Nigeria. University of Lagos, Department of Political Science, Panaf Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Auvinen, J. (1996). IMF intervention and political protest in the third world: A conventional wisdom refined. Third World Quarterly, 17 (3), 337–400.

    Google Scholar 

  • Babalola, A. (1974). Not vernaculars but languages! Lagos: University of Lagos, Inaugural Lecture Series.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1973). Aggression: A social learning analysis. Hoboken, NJ: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. (1977). Social learning theory. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Wilson.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. (1986). Social foundation of thoughts and action. Hoboken, NJ: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Becker, H. S. (1963). Outsiders. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beer, C. E. F.(1976). The politics of peasant groups in Western Nigeria. Ibadan: Ibadan University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bendix, R. (1959). Max Weber: An intellectual portrait. London: University Paperback.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burgen Magazine, 2020.

    Google Scholar 

  • Busari, Stephanie, Orji, Sunday, & Salaudeen, Aisha. (2020). “Nigerians take to the streets in protests against controversial police unit accused of brutality”. CNN. CNN. CNN. 9 October.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernhard, Kittel & Karl‐Dieter, Opp. (2019). Dissecting the conditions of political protest. An exploration of interaction effects in the explanation of political protest. Sociological Inquiries, 89 (1), 67–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Califano, J. (1970). The student revolution: A global confrontation. New York: W.W. Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Charles, A. (1996). Political movement and social change: Analyzing politics. American Political Science Review, 90 (4), 874–884.

    Google Scholar 

  • CNNedition.cnn.com. (2018). Nigeria overtakes India in extreme poverty ranking. June 26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J. (1985). Structuring or identity: New paradigm and contemporary social movements. Social Research, 52, 663–716.

    Google Scholar 

  • Collin, R. (1990). Stratification emotional energy the transient emotion. In Theodore, K. (Ed.), Research Agenda in sociology of emotion. Albany: SUNY Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Conford, F. (1941). Plato’s Republic. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Conway, M. (1989). The political context of political behaviour. Journal of Politics, 51 (1). University of Texas Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. (2000). (Third Edition). Political participation in the United States. Congressional Quarterly Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Conway, M., & Feigert, F. (1976). Political analysis: An introduction. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Craig, J. (1983). Resource mobilization theory and the study of social movement. Annual Review of Sociology, 9, 27–553.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dalton, R., & Klingemann, H. (2007). Citizens and political behaviour. In Goodin, R. (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of political behaviour. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Du Toit, P. (1995). State building and democracy in southern Africa: A comparative study of Botswana and Zimbabwe. Pretoria: HSRC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eesuola, O. (2012). Behavioral approach to political protest: Analysis of Fela Anikulapo Kuti, 1970–1997. Doctoral Thesis, Department of Political Science, University of Lagos.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisinger, P. (1973).The condition of protest behaviour in American cities. American Political Science Review, 67, 11–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eldersveld, J. (1959). Political behaviour: A reader in theory and research. New York, NY, USA: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eldersveld, J., & Katz, D. (1961). The impact of local party activities upon electorates. Public Opinion Quarterly, 25 (1), 1–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Emesowum, Benedict. (2016). Identifying cities or countries at risk for police violence. Journal of African American Studies, 21 (2), 269–281.

    Google Scholar 

  • Encyclopedia.com. (2020).

    Google Scholar 

  • Gabriel, Abend. (2008). The meaning of ‘Theory’. Sociological Theory.

    Google Scholar 

  • Erunke, Joseph. (3 December 2017). “#EndSARS: We won’t scrap SARS, Police reply anti-SARS campaigners". Vanguard Newspaper. Nigeria.

    Google Scholar 

  • Falaiye, Muyiwa. (2008). Riots, revolts and Black Nationalism: The African-American experience. Lagos Notes and Records, 14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freeman, J. (1999). On the origin of social movement. In social movement of the sixties and seventies. American Journal of Sociology, 78 (4), 702–811.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, N. (2008). Researching social life. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gostin, L. (1988) (Ed). Civil liberties in conflict. London and New York. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gurr, T. (1970). Why Men Rebel. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haralambos, M., Holborn, M,. & Heald, R. (2004). Sociology themes and perspectives. London: HarperCollins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hasting, S. &Thomas, A.O. (2009). Predicting workplace deviance using broad versus narrow personality variables. Personality and Individual Differences, 47, 289–293.

    Google Scholar 

  • Herring, C. (1989). Acquiescence or activism? Political behaviour among the politically alienated. Political Psychology, 10 (1), 135–153.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoff, K. and Stiglitz, J. (2004) After the big bang: Obstacles to the emergence of the rule of law in post-communist societies. American Economic Review, 9493, 756–763.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffer, E. (1951). The true believer. New York: Harper and Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hollander, J., & Einwohner, R. (2004). Conceptualizing resistance. Sociological Forum, 19 (4), 533–554.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ifafimihan, A. (1999). Ifa n’idalu ati Iselu, personal communication. Oyo, October 2011.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jasper, J. (1998). The emotions of protest: The affective and reactive emotions in and around social movements. Sociological Forum, 13 (3), 397–424.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jonathan, B. (2003). Value analysis in political behaviour-self interrelated, moralistic, altruistic, moral. University of Pennsylvania Law Review, 161, 1131–1167.

    Google Scholar 

  • Joseph, R. A. (1991). Democracy and prebendal politics in Nigeria: The rise and fall of the Second Republic. Ibadan and Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, H., & Xiaoru, L. (2000). Social protest and self enhancement: A conditional relationship. Sociological Forum, 15 (4), 432–442.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kavanagh, D. (1983). Political Science and political behaviour. London: George Allen and Urwin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kittel, & Opp. (2018). Dissecting the conditions of political protest: An exploration of interaction effects in condition of political protest. Sociological Inquiry.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klanderman, B. (1997). The social psychology of protest. Oxford, MS, USA: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klanderman, B. (2004). The demand and supply of participation: Social psychology correlation of participation in social movement. In Snow, D., Soule, S., & Kriesi, H. (Eds), 360–379. Oxford, MS, USA: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klapp, O. (1969). Collective search for identity. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klingemann, D., & Dieter, F. (1995). (ed). Citizens and the state. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klingemann, H. (1995). Citizens and the state. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kritzer, H. (2001). Public protest and political violence: A non-recursive causal model. Social Forces, 55 (3), 630–640.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lipset, S. (1959). Political Man: The social basis of politics. New York: Double Day.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lipset, S. (1971). Rebellion in the university. Boston: Little Brown.

    Google Scholar 

  • Louis, Z., & Snow, D. (1981). Collective behaviour: Social movement in sociological Perspectives. In Rosenberg, R. and Turner, R. (Eds.) Social Psychology. USA: Basic Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lowi, T. (1971). The politics of discord. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mabinuori, K. (2003). African who sang and saw tomorrow. In Schoonmaker, T. (Ed.) Fela: From West Africa to West Broadway, 16–24. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Manufacturing Sector Report. (2015). Manufacturing in Africa (PDF). KPMG. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2016.

    Google Scholar 

  • McLeod, Saul. (2016). Bandura—Social learning theory. https://www.simplypsychology.org/bandura.html.

  • Mendes, P. (1999). From protest to acquaintance: The political protest of the unemployed. Social Alternative, 18 (4), 44–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moore, C. (1982). Fela: Fela this bitch of a life. London: Alison and Busby.

    Google Scholar 

  • News, Aljazeera. (9 October 2020). “#EndSARS: Nigerians protest against police brutality". https://www.aljazeera.com. Aljazeera Media Network.

  • Niemi, R. (1973). Collecting information about the family: A problem in survey methodology. In Denis, J. (Ed.) Socialization to politics. New York: John Willy and Co.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nigeria-consulate-frankfurt.de. (2020). “Nigeria Economy".

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Connor, J. (1973). The fiscal crisis of the state. New York: St Martins.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Leary, Z. (2004). The essential guide to doing research. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oikelome, A. (2009). The stylistic content of the Afrobeat of Fela Anikulapo Kuti (Unpublished Ph.D Dissertation, University of Ibadan).

    Google Scholar 

  • Okon, Desmond. (2020). Nigerians insist on disbandment of SARS as IGP bans killer police unit for third time. NG. Business Day Newspaper. 4 October.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olafsson, J. (2007). Deviance: A comment on the logic of protest. TRAMES, 11 (61), 432–442.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olaniyan, T. (2004). Arrest the music! Fela and his rebel arts and politics. Bloomington, IN, USA: Indiana University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oloruntimilehin, O. (1976). History and society. Ile Ife: University of Ife Inaugural Lecture.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olorunyomi, S. (2003). Afrobeat: Fela and the imagined continent. Ibadan: IFRA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Opp, K. (1990). Post materialism, collective action and political protest. American Journal of Political Science, 34 (1), 212–235.

    Google Scholar 

  • Opp, K. (2009). Theories of political protest and social movement: A multi-disciplinary introduction, critique and synthesis. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osaghae, E. (1999). Exiting from the state in Nigeria. African Journal of Political Science, 3(1), 83–98.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oshodi, T., Njoku, M., & Odiogor, H. (2010). From solidarity melodies to rhythmic opposition: Music and politics in Nigeria (1960–2010). In Akinboye, S. & Fadakinte, M. (Eds.), Fifty years of nationhood? State, society and politics in Nigeria (1960–2010). Lagos: Concept.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parson, T. (1963). Some reflections on the place of force in social process. In Harry, E. (Ed). International war: Problems and approaches. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, S. (1990). Political behaviour: Patterns in everyday life. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robert, P. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York, NY, USA: Touchstone.

    Google Scholar 

  • Salaudeen, Aisha. (2017). Nigerians want police’s SARS force scrapped. Aljazeera. 15 December.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schussman, A., & Soule, S. (2005). Process and protest: Accounting for individual’s protest participation. Social Forces, 84 (2), 1083–1108. Academy: 39(4).

    Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, B.F. (1953). Science and human behavior. New York: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spitzer, S. (1975). Toward a Marxian theory of deviance. Social Problems, 22, 638–651.

    Google Scholar 

  • Soyinka, W. (2006). You must set forth at dawn. Ibadan: Book Craft.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. (2010). Personal Interview, Victoria Island, November.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sreedhar, S. (2010). Hobbes on resistance: Defying the Leviathan. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Street, J. (2000). Prime time politics: Popular culture and the politicians in the UK. The Public, 7 (2), 75–90.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. (2011). Music and politics. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Willey and Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swanson, Richard. (2013). Theory building in applied disciplines. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tarrow, S. (1998). Power in movement, social movement and contentious politics. Second edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tarrow, M., & Tilly, C. (2001). Dynamics of contention. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Terchek, R. (1974). Protest and bargaining. Journal of Peace Research, 11, 133–144.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Cable News. (2020). 23 October.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner, R. (1969). The theme of contemporary social movement. British Journal of Sociology, 20, 390–405.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ulmer, S. (1961). (ed). Introductory readings in political behaviour. Chicago: Rand, McNally and Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • “UPDATE Nigeria Government Debt: % of GDP”. Retrieved 9 September 2019.

    Google Scholar 

  • Useem, B., & Useem, M. (2001). Government legitimacy and political stability. Social Forces, 3:57, 840–852.

    Google Scholar 

  • Veal, M. (2000). Fela: The life and times of an African musical icon. Philadelphia: Temple University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Verba, S., Schussman, K., & Henry, B. (1995). Voice of equality, civil voluntarism in American politics. Cambridge, MA, USA: Harvard University Press. In Greenstein, F. (1975). Handbook of Political science. Cambridge, MA: Addison Wesley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walton, H. (1985). Invisible politics. Albany, NY, USA: SUNY Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weber, J. (1983). Research in social anthropology. London, UK: Royal Anthropology Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zurcher, L., & David, S. (1981). Collective behaviour, social movements in Social Psychology. In Rosenberg, M. & Turner, R. (Eds.), Basic books, 447–482.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of African and Diaspora Studies, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria

    Olukayode Segun Eesuola

Authors
  1. Olukayode Segun Eesuola
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Olukayode Segun Eesuola .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of African Studies, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Samuel Ojo Oloruntoba

  2. Thabo Mbeki School of Public and International Affairs, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa

    Samuel Ojo Oloruntoba

  3. Department of History, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Toyin Falola

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Eesuola, O.S. (2022). Beyond Riots: Africa’s Fela Kuti and His One Man Political Protest in the Changing Global Order. In: Oloruntoba, S.O., Falola, T. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Africa and the Changing Global Order. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77481-3_44

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation