Genevieve Nnaji: I’m honoured to reenact one of Fela’s Kalakuta queens

Posted By Godwin Onyemaechi

This is an artful retelling of Fela’s story and I’m honored to be a part of it,” star actress Genevieve Nnaji recently expressed after she was announced as one of the casts of Fela Ten-Twenty, an audio adaptation of Broadway musical ‘FELA!’.

It would also be the actress’s first gig in radio plays. She’s famous for featuring in-home videos and blockbuster flicks.

Nnaji, in a statement to CNN, revealed what sold the radio play to her saying, “The contemporary issues highlighted… are what sold me. I grew up on radio plays and the experience is nostalgic for me – the power of voice to influence minds and touch hearts is undeniable.”
Nnaji will play the role of one of the late Fela’s dancers known as the ‘Kalakuta Queens,’ in Fela Ten-Twenty. Fela famously married all 27 women in a single ceremony in 1978.

The radio play, Fela Ten-Twenty, was directed by Funa Maduka. The audio adaptation of the Broadway musical ‘FELA!’ premiered last weekend on the Clubhouse app.

The production highlights the struggles of Nigerian music star and Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Anikulapo Kuti who was an outspoken critic of Nigeria’s military regimes and was frequently arrested for his troubles.