Home AFRICAN MUSIC Fela Kuti’s Grammy lifetime achievement award is a major win for African...

Fela Kuti’s Grammy lifetime achievement award is a major win for African music – WSLS

A group of hands hold up a framed black-and-white photograph of Fela Kuti and a plastic cup beneath colorful lights in a dark setting, celebrating the spirit of African music.

LAGOS – Fela Kuti became the first African to be awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy at the Grammys Special Merit Awards.

He was honored posthumously on Saturday alongside Chaka Khan, Cher, Carlos Santana and Whitney Houston.

The award underscores the artist’s contribution to music and as the inspiration of one of the most popular contemporary African music genres, Afrobeats. Nigerian music critics welcomed the recognition as a reflection of his enduring influence.

“What the recognition means locally is the…