Point no. 1. The process

What fascinated me in the first place about this concert is the way it records its own unfolding – its heightened processuality, so to speak. The (apparent or actual) errors, repetitions, calibrations, the tuning of the instruments, the adjustments, which are all fundamental aspects of what constitutes a process. Kuti’s use of language follows the same logic when, for instance, he gives new meanings and constructs new words, right under our eyes (ears), through marked pauses and added syllables. The false starts, which again are part of the process and at the same time disrupt the illusion of a solid, unitary narrative. They also stress the unfolding of time.

During the show Kuti acts as a conductor, gives explanations or instructions to the spectators (it is a very interactive show, for that matter), sets the historical and political contexts of certain songs or the show itself, as well as its intentions and purposes, goes here, goes there, plays the sax, sings, dances his way to the organ and plays the organ, makes a joke, takes another smoke. All the while there are countless perfectly timed changes of pace and rhythm. At some point he initiates a little game with the audience and tells them to repeat what he’s playing on his horn and then, seconds after beginning to play, he stops and announces them he made a mistake, to then correct his instructions. He is simultaneously actor, director, narrator, and commentator. He’s everywhere, in a most masterful way, channeling, shaping, and leading the currents of the process. He holds everything together like a shaman of sorts (showman/shaman?). It is a protest like a party, a party like a ceremony. “The underground spiritual game”, to use Kuti’s own words.

Point no. 2. Everywhere and nowhere. How time is transformed

As one extreme usually tends to turn into the other, if Kuti is everywhere, that amounts to saying that, in a way, he’s nowhere – space is abolished, which means time is abolished too. To emphasize the process means to emphasize its means and its medium – space and time, in essence. By becoming immersed in the full texture of the process (by experiencing it), the process is eventually transcended.

This all reminds me of the paradox described by Celibidache: “𝘓𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦. 𝘐𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘢𝘳, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘵, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 (…) 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘱 𝘰𝘯𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘱 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘵, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵? (…) 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘢𝘳. 𝘖𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘳 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦? 𝘐𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤, 𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘳? 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥? 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥… 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺! (…) 𝘉𝘢𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 – 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦, 𝘵𝘸𝘰, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯? 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘵 (…) 𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘐𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘵, 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺, 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘴, 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.” (Celibidache here, in this ever-nourishing, ever-uplifting interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TP8zkkUoIO8)

This twofold situation, the immersion-transcendence of the process makes one more aware of the latter and their own predicament. If anything, the processuality of Kuti’s show seems very deliberate, aiming at awareness and self-awareness, in multifaceted ways.

(Photo credits: excerpt from the youtube video above)