Hallucination of the Abami – a screenplay

SCENE 1, ACT 1

FELA’S RESIDENCE, IKEJA. AUGUST 1997-DAY

(In a state of paranoid delusion, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti locks himself in his room refusing any food or contact with the outside world. He obliges Victor Akhidenor, a longtime friend, a rare audience. And the Abami reminisces like a man who knows the end is nigh.)

SCENE 2, ACT 1

FELA’S RESIDENCE, SURULERE. MAY 1974-DAY

Loud knock on the door. Fela opens the door.

Fela

Police? What do you want?

One of the five detectives

We’ve come to search your house

Fela

Again? You just finished. I left on bail yesterday. What’s happening?

Detectives unwilling to leave.

Fela

Fine. I have a woman inside there. She’s naked. You cannot come in here until she’s dressed

Detectives

OK

Bang the door in their faces.

ANGLE – Fela searches his apartment for weeds. Got a handful and flush it in the toilet.

ANOTHER ANGLE – Just to be sure, he searches every corner and tidies his room.

Then, he opens the door.

Fela

(Smiling sheepishly)

Come in

Leads the officers into his bedroom. Fela is calm as the officers go through his luggage. They search every nook and crevice. When they could not find anything in his apartment, they bring out the weed they had with them pretending it was found among Fela’s letters.

Detective

(Brandishing a package)

I found this

Fela

You found this

Detective

(Opens the package; show Fela the content. Mockingly, he repeated himself)

I found this

Fela

(With eyes wide open)

I can’t see it

He brings it close to his face.

Fela 

I can’t see it

He brings it closer to his face.

Detective

Look!

Fela looks…and grabs the package from the detective who is stunned by the swiftness of the action. Fela put the weed in his mouth, jumps on his bed, takes a bottle of whisky by the bed, put the bottle in his mouth, and use the liquor to wash down the weed in his mouth. Fela jumps out of his bed and starts to lecture the detectives.

Fela

(Shouting)

Motherf..kers, what’s the matter with you? Look-o, I’m trying to save this country, man. You want to put me in jail. What have I done? Whaaaaaaaat have I done? ‘cause I smoke? F..king…

Detectives

(Grab his hands)

Let’s go!

SCENE 3, ACT 1

FELA’S RESIDENCE, SURULERE. OCTOBER 1974–DAY

Fela is busy with his craft

Voices

(from of his dancers and the girls within the house)

Fela don get new song- o

Fela don begin new number

The song na die- o

SCENE 4, ACT 1

POLICE STATION, ALAGBON CLOSE. MAY 1974-DAY

Fela is led to the station by the five detectives.

Officer at the counter addresses the detectives who are standing on both sides of Fela.

Officer

So you got him?

Detective by Fela’s left side

Yes, sah. But when we showed it to him, he grabbed it and ate it

Officer     

(Visibly shocked, looks at Fela)

He’s the criminal now! Lock him up

SCENE 4, ACT 2

Fela in a cell sees the officer and detectives running up and down; making frantic calls; talking among themselves in hushed tones; planning their next line of action.

Cell door opens

Officer and detectives

Come out and follow us

 Fela

Where?

 Officer

(Exasperated)

Just follow us

Officer accompanies Fela into a Peugeot car. Car zooms off.

SCENE 5, ACT 1

EXT. FELA’S RESIDENCE, SURULERE. OCTOBER 1974–DAY

Blast of saxophone rents the air.

ANNOUNCER – By this time the word is out. Everyone knows – from the hemp merchants on the street to the girls of easy virtues by the street corner. A new song is in the offing. Students, workers, and residence of Surulere where Fela lives and works are alive to the reality of the emerging song.

SCENE 6, ACT 1

INT. Military Hospital. May 1974-DAY

Fela is before the head doctor who ironically is his cousin.

Dr. Peters

Oh Fela, how are you?

Fela

Ah…

Dr. Peters

(Cuts in)

What happened?

Fela

(Thinking aloud)

As if he didn’t know why

Fela

(Pointing at the detectives)

I don’t know what they brought me here for

Dr. Peters

(Beckoning on Fela)

Follow me

Leeds him into an operating theatre. There a nurse is waiting for them

Nurse

(Carrying a pair of new shoes addressing Fela)

Wear these

Fela

Shoes? Are you blind? Don’t you see shoes on my feet?

Realisation dawns on him. He looks from doctor to nurse. From nurse to police officer.

Fela

(Shouting)

So, you people want to wash my stomach! Fine! Go ahead! Wash my stomach. Fine. You will do it ‘cause you will take me in there by force, right? You’re ready to take me in there by force? Ok-o! Make you take me by force-o! It’s my nyash you want to put somethin’ inside? Well, you’ll never get anything in my nyash! Let me tell you something: before you do anything to me, all that theatre, I will break it down. So take me inside, you motherf..king police! Bastards! Take me inside! Ba-s-t-a-rds!

Doctor

(Looking really disturbed, to police officer)

If you can’t get your prisoner under control, I can’t do it

Fela

(Facing the doctor, still shouting)

I know one thing. You cannot do anything to my body unless by my express permission. So you get that into your head. I know the law!

Doctor leaves the theatre angrily

Fela

(To police officers, his noise attracts the others who had been waiting at the reception)

What do you want to do now?

Officers

(Frustrated)

Follow us

SCENE 6, ACT 2

Outside the Military Hospital, Fela sees another known face. Mr. Atta, the head of the Nigerian Interpol, is waiting for the result of the exercise.

Mr. Atta

(To police officers)

Have you done it?

One of the officers

Fela no gree them to do it, sah

Mr. Atta

(Looks annoyingly at Fela)

Get in my car!

SCENE 6, ACT 3

In the car, a Peugeot station waggon, Fela sits at the back. Mr. Atta is in the middle.

Mr. Atta

(Turns and looks at Fela)

I’m going to talk to you in my office

Fela

(Sarcastically)

You get office? You foolish stupid bastard! Low-down sonofab..ch…

Fela continues the abuse, ‘dog’, ‘bastard’, ‘goat’, until they arrive back at Alagbon.

SCENE 7, ACT 1

INT. FELA’S RESIDENCE, SURULERE. OCTOBER 1974-DAY

Fela in a sitting position meditating (weed in hand).

ANNOUNCER – The tune in his mind has come to stay. Next are the rhythm section, jazz drums and percussions. The twin guitars (tenor and rhythm), then twin basses and electric piano.

He picks up the paper by his side. Looks at it.

ANNOUNCER – The song has been written line by line. He will need to dictate parts to each musician. They will work on their parts until the whole thing becomes the groove he wants, adding layers and layers of sound, until the wall of sound is ready to hit you.

SCENE 8, ACT 1

INT. POLICE STATION, ALAGBON CLOSE. MAY 1974-EVENING

Mr. Atta

(To the officers)

Lock him up

Fela is led to a cell.

SCENE 9, ACT 1

INT. Magistrate Court, next day

Fela is charged to court and accused of being in possession of Indian hemp. The police officer tells the judge that Fela had eaten the hemp; and that it is still in his stomach; and they still want to keep him in cell so as to collect samples of his excrement as evidence.

Magistrate

How many days do you need to collect that ‘thing’, hmm, the samples?

Police officer

Three days, your honour

Fela is being led back to his cell.

SCENE 10, ACT 1

INT. FELA’S RESIDENCE, SURULERE. OCTOBER 1974-LATE AFTERNOON

Fela sits facing his band. He takes a drag from his cigarette (alternate between weed and cigarette as he dictates). The ten-man band plays various instruments ranging from the trumpets through horns to the reed section with twin alto tenor and baritone saxophones. The sekere and sticks players complete the team.

Fela counts off a tempo and the rhythm section come in once. He plays a melody over the groove. The horn players pick up the melody and play together with different degrees of success. He plays the melody again. Some of the musicians have scraps of paper with the melody sketched out and they look at this while they blow. Others prefer their ears and play patiently listening to his lines on the electric piano.

After a few attempts they get it right. Then he guides them more gently, sketching the form of the tune aurally; how many times the melody must be played; how many sections there were; what harmonies were for the horns.

He plays the backing riffs for instrumental solos and they fall in behind him, riffling away until they were one tight, loud section.

SCENE 11, ACT 1

INT. POLICE STATION, ALAGBON CLOSE. 3-DAY COUNTDOWN

1ST MORNING

Fela‘s mother brings vegetables for his son.

Fela’s yet to shit.

1ST NIGHT

Middle of the night the other prisoners (7 in number) wakes Fela up.

Rockwell

(Their president)

Fela, all the police are asleep now. Why don’t you come and shit in the pail ‘cause they won’t see you shitting. Then they go throw it away tomorrow with everybody’s shit

Fela

That’s a good idea, man

Fela creeps out of his bed; bends down on the pail which is at the corner of the room and empties his bowels.

2ND MORNING

Police officer

Fela, you don’t want to shit yet?

Fela

Shit? No, I don’t want to shit, man!

His mother brings vegetables for him again.

2ND NIGHT

Rockwell

Fela, these people are bastards. That one shit not enough-o. So you go shit another one tonight, to make sure your stomach is clear

Fela

Thank you!

Fela is busy at it.

3RD MORNING

Fela was due in court in the morning. He wakes up at 6.30am.

Fela

(Cries out)

Hey, police, I want to shit

Pandemonium.

Voices

(From police officers)

Fela wants to shit-o

Everybody is looking for the chamber pot – policemen, orderly, constable, everyone! Fela is taken to the backyard and a chamber pot is placed under his buttocks. He ‘eventually’ shits. It comes out…clean. Like one from a new born baby doing it for the first time.

Police officers inspect it in turns with a magnifying glass.

SCENE 12, ACT 1

INT. AFRICAN SHRINE, SURULERE. REHEARSAL NIGHT, WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 1974

ANNOUCER – The shrine is full like on a regular day of performance. The only difference is that only vibe is heard and no dancing. Everyone is quiet. Lagosians are witnessing one of their most innovative composers at work. At the first sign of the melody from his keyboard, someone somewhere picks it up and starts humming:

Eron na goat-o for Yoruba land-o (twice)

E go bend im nyash e go shit

E go commot away from the shit

Im shit go be the last thing wey im go like to see

Because why-o because shit de smell (twice)…

Me I be Fela I be black power man (twice)

I go bend my nyash I go shit

I commot away from the shit

The shit go be the last thing wey I go like to see…

No be so for some fools wey I know-o…

Dem don turn my shit to expensive shit…

My shit na exhibit e must not lost-o…

Hen eeh alagbon-o…

SCENE 13, ACT 1

FELA’S RESIDENCE, IKEJA. AUGUST 1997-DAY

(Fela breaths his last breathe in the arms of Victor Akhidenor – a longtime friend.)