Is Fela's 'Lady' sexist? A Feminist's Critique

Fela and two of his 27 wives
Source: Pinterest

Is Fela's Lady song sexist? 

As much as I love Fela, the song absolutely reeks of sexism and, mind you, this is not the only Fela song that does. 

In the intro to Army Arrangement, Fela  uses an analogy which objectifies women:

"...You see, man eye get different look for woman yansh*

You see small yansh, you go say,

"Yeah, look at this big yansh!"

If you can't see big yansh, you go say,

"Yeah, look at this is small yansh!"

And if you see more yansh

Wey you wan to bury your prick inside

You go say, "Hey baby, show me your particulars!..."

Now, let's look at some of the lyrics of Lady:

"[Lady] go say him equal to man

She go say him get power like man

She go say anything man do himself fit do"

For those who might not know the song, Fela is not stating what he believes to be a fact, but is actually mocking women who belief that they are equal to men. 

In the simplest of terms, feminism is the belief that both sexes are equal and should therefore be treated as such. It didn't seat well with the musical legend that women should see themselves as equal to men or think they can do the things men can do.  

This begs the question; do Nigerian men agree with Fela? According to Onye Nkuzi, there is an "under current of toxic masculinity and totalitarian patriarchy that characterizes the Nigerian male psyche." More on this later.

"[Lady] go want take cigar before anybody

She go want make you open door for am

She go want make man wash plate

For am, for kitchen"

Fela highlights a domestic chore here; washing the dishes. And since we now know he is in fact stating the opposite of what he believes, we can agree that he thinks washing the dishes should be the woman's duty. Notice his emphasis, "for kitchen", as though it is entirely absurd that a man ever be found anywhere near a kitchen.

One issue contemporary feminists tackle is the division of labour in the home and the age-long myth that woman are "supposed" to care for the home. I found this comic enlightening; it highlights the fact that, from the onset, little girls are bought dolls and tea sets to play with, imbibing in them their role as caregivers in the homes they will one day "manage".

And, for what it's worth, Fela made it very clear that he's not a gentleman, hence his aversion to women wanting doors opened for them.

She want salute man

She go, sit down for chair...

She want sit down

For table before anybody...

She want a piece of meat

Before anybody

What we see here is a campaign for women being second place. A woman shouldn't want to sit down at a table first (and can I ask here if this table happens to be one filled with men?). A woman shouldn't want  a piece of meat first. And how dare she salute (greet) a man while sitting down? Perhaps she should kneel to greet him? We see here the idea that women should come after everybody else, and perhaps be content with not getting a seat or a piece of meat at all at the end of the day.

"[African woman] know him man na master

She go cook for am

She go do anything he say

But lady, no be so...

Lady na master"

I'm holding myself back from laughing at the "African woman know him man na master / She go do anything he say" part. And, caveat: Fela is categorically stating a fact this time; what he believes to be true or proper.

So, let's go back to Onye's premise about an "under current of toxic masculinity and totalitarian patriarchy that characterizes the Nigerian male psyche."

Many Nigerian men -- whether or not they take the Bible seriously -- believe that husband (read: man) being head of the wife (read: woman) is synonymous with man being better than woman. I have talked about this scripture and its connotations here.

One can see -- in the way victims of sexual abuse/harassment are blamed and made to feel guilty about a crime committed against their bodies, in the way women who leave their marriages are made to feel small and weak, in the way widows are sidelined and maltreated by their late husbands' families -- that many Nigerian men do think they are better than women.

And, with a heavy heart, it is obvious that Fela thought the same way. What is shocking too is that Fela's love for his mother was widely known, and so that he would write/sing about women in this objective, condescending way makes it difficult to align the two. 

Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti
Source: Pinterest

Fela's mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, was an educator and suffragette, known as a dynamic force which led women's rights in the 1950s. Funmilayo led market women in a protest against crippling taxes and price controls in Egbaland, which led to the Oba** relinquishing his throne. 

In today's world, Funmilayo might have identified as a feminist (I say this with caution because some women consider the 'feminist' label a letdown, arguing that women are, in fact, superior to men; I can no longer find a brilliant article by Yemisi Aribisala titled 'Sister Outsider' online, so this will have to do).

One wonders how Fela might have viewed his mother. Was he fine with her being outspoken and fighting for the rights of women, but did not value such qualities in the women he was in a relationship with? Doesn't that smart of hypocrisy? Yet, many men have this mentality; they value independence and brilliance in women, as long as it is not their own woman -- independence and boldness are good and well, as long as it isn't close enough to threaten their 'reign' as men.

Now, perhaps Fela was just "joking" and didn't mean any of the things he sang in Lady and I have simply jumped to conclusions.

As my people say, Na from clap dance dey start.

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*   yansh is "buttocks" in pidgin

** Oba is "king" in Yoruba