Kirston claimed Beyonce should regret paying tribute to Fela who has been accused of "physically abusing women". She also believe her decision to honour the Afrobeat legend means beyonce's embrace of voilent crimes against women.
Kirsten thinks it would have been better if Beyonce had honoured Fela's mother, Funmilayo whom she called "Fela's true Queen" and not his 27 wives
Excerpts from the story
"The fact that Beyonce Knowles, a self-proclaimed feminist who recently declared that "Girls Run The World", appeared in L'Officiel Paris in blackface to honor Fela and his 27 "Queens"– even though he physically abused them — is a
testament to the one dimensional perspective through which we examine Fela. It is also an ironic reflection of his priorities that the controversy generated over the images was due to her unfortunate choice to mimic racist satire — not her celebration of domestic violence, which disproportionately affects the Black and African-American women she claims to empower. In allowing herself to be blinded by his skewed mythology — that she protects and proliferates through her "iconic" photoshoot — she squandered an opportunity to not only speak out against violent crimes against women, but also to honor Fela's true Queen: his mother, Funmilayo." (Huffington Post)
To watch one of Fela's performances is to witness the roots of Hip-Hop music. Misogyny in rap did not materialize in the boroughs of New York or the strip clubs of Atlanta where the magnificence of the feminine form is appreciated, while what lies beneath is ignored; rather, it manifested in part through the ancestral characterization of women as "mattresses" in need of men to elevate their status and provide sexual gratification. The fact that Beyonce Knowles, a self-proclaimed feminist who recently declared that "Girls Run The World", appeared in L'Officiel Paris in blackface to honor Fela and his 27 "Queens"-- even though he physically abused them -- is a testament to the one dimensional perspective through which we examine Fela. It is also an ironic reflection of his priorities that the controversy generated over the images was due to her unfortunate choice to mimic racist satire -- not her celebration of domestic violence, which disproportionately affects the Black and African-American women she claims to empower. In allowing herself to be blinded by his skewed mythology -- that she protects and proliferates through her "iconic" photoshoot -- she squandered an opportunity to not only speak out against violent crimes against women, but also to honor Fela's true Queen: his mother, Funmilayo. Fela's mother, civil rights leader and feminist, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, also known as "Bere", was the catalyst who shaped Fela into the revolutionary he would later become. She tirelessly fought to eradicate the colonialism, racism and sexism running rampant through Nigeria, and as a boy, Fela soaked in her wisdom and took great pride in her fearlessness. Sandra Iszadore, a Black Panther who Fela considers one of the most influential women in his life, exposed him to anti-establishment human rights battles being waged in the United States, educating him on everyone from Malcolm X to The Last Poets. Sandra opened his eyes to the injustice in the world around him, and by his own account, introduced him to his own "African-ness."
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