I DON'T WOMANISE, I JUST HUMANISE
By LUKMON BUSARI
Friday, January 28, 2005

Remember those illustrations that adorn some of the album sleeves of the late Afrobeat king, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. If they had not come from the genuis of a great illustrator, perhaps, they had the weird touch of a maverick artiste like Fela himself. Surprisingly, the deft hands that churned out those works was that of Lemi Ghariokwu, who, like a lead actor in a movie, came face-to-face with destiny the day Fela commissioned him to design the sleeve of his popular record, Alagbon Close. Although the latter was a musician, and the former an artist, Fela's meeting with Ghariokwu was a meeting of great minds and the fusion of their arts opened a new chapter in the history of album-packaging in Nigeria.

Lemi, now a celebrated record sleeves designer, fine artist, graphic artist and an illustrator met Fela when the fame of the latter as social crusader and political activist was on the rise. It can be recalled that at 18, Lemi had the rare opportunity to Alagbon Close, the album in which Fela rebuked military attack on his Kalakuta Republic in 1974. Since then, there had been no going back for the Delta-born artist. Lemi's pioneering effort in album sleeves'design in the country has produced over 2000 record sleeves for indigenous and foreign artistes, thirty years into the business. He spoke to Daily Sun on Fela, his influence, his works, parting with Fela and plans to re-introduce creativity to sleeves' design even in this computer age.


Background
I was born and raised in Lagos. Although, my parents hail from Delta State, I can hardly speak the language. Anyway, I see myself as a Lagosian. I came into this world to learn from my immediate environment and the diaspora. I do not believe too much in formal education. I believe that education is a continuous process. I am a student of University of Life. I attended Bishop Oluwole Memorial School, Agege. Then, my parents relocated to Akoka and I had to change to Seventh Day Adventist Primary School, Akoka. From there, I went to Yaba College of Technology, Secondary School Section. By the time I finished secondary school, my mind had blown up enough to realise my purpose in life. Since then, I have been a student of the University of Life.


Fela's influence on my education
I wanted to study Art in a university or a college of technology, but Fela asked me to consider his own life. He was sent to England to study Medicine but he ended up studying Music. So he was taught classical music, Oyinbo music. He came back and he started playing Afro-Jazz kind of highlife. He couldn't compete with Rex Lawson, who didn't attend any formal school. Eventually, his mum advised him to play something indigenous that his people could understand and identify with. So he created Afrobeat and he started singing in Pidgin English and Yoruba. So when he sang people could hardly believe that he studied in England.He said if I should go to the university to study art, I would be taught Italian art and it will affect my originality. He said I should buy books and pick what I need. And that's what I did. My friends and parents thought I was crazy. I had to develop some will power and courage. Some people said that I was following Fela, and I had started smoking Igbo. But today, I am very proud because everywhere I go I am told that my style is too unique, original. I am not condemning western education. Some people are meant to go to school while others are to go to the school of hard knocks, the real school.


Religion
When we talk about religion, I don't believe in institutionalized religion. So, I do not practice any institutionalised religion. I am not a Christian, neither a Muslim, nor a pagan. I'm not an Africanist either. I believe in the universe.


Inspiration
Inspiration comes from your immediate environment if you are observant enough. If you are calm enough to listen and reason and be in tune with the infinite source that is within every human entity. So my inspiration comes from people who had been before me and had left behind legacies for me. Specifically, I was born with a pan-African frame of mind. In the 1960s, I fell in love with Malicent Small. She had a huge hit in the 1960s with Lolly Pop in England. Cadbury brought her here on a promotional tour in 1964 to promote Bournvita. And I felt really proud to see an African accorded international recognition. There was also Mariam Makeba. In the 1970s I was of age when George Jackson was killed in the United States. I was deeply touched by the incidents of racial segregation and all that. So, by 1974 when I met Fela, it was easy for me to relate with what he was saying.


Sleeve designing
I never knew that designing album sleeves could be a career neither did I know that I would pioneer it in Nigeria. That happened in 1974. That was the year I came face-to-face with my destiny. There were two major incidents that hastened that. You would remember that that was the year Bruce Lee's box office hit, Enter the Dragon was released. Then, I used to do portraits. There was a beer palour next to my building, and the man who owned the place requested me to do a painting of the poster of Bruce Lee's popular film, Enter the Dragon for him. I did it and he hung it in the beer palour. Secondly, when Fela released his album entitled Roforofo Fight in 1974, I was looking at the album sleeve and a voice said to me, "Why didn't you do a drawing to illustrate this Roforofo Fight ?". I did that and I kept the work in my portfolio. So, a journalist; Babatunde Harrison of Sunday Punch had just returned from the United States. He was coming to take a beer at that joint. When he saw the Bruce Lee poster, he told me that he wanted to meet the guy who did it. After seeing me, he told me that he would like to see my other drawings which I brought out for him. In that portfolio, he saw the Roforofo Fight cover that I designed. He was surprised and asked me if I could design covers. He told me that two days earlier, he and Fela were discussing the idea of illustrating Fela's covers because it was really getting political. But I thought he was drunk. Two days later, he asked to draw Fela's portrait for a test. After I had completed the job, he took me to Fela. Meeting Fela, I could not believe it was real. About three weeks after, Fela's house was attacked and he was hospitalised at LUTH. When the journalist came, I asked after Fela's health and we went to his hospital bed. It was there that he discussed his new song on his experience at Alagbon. That was the song Alagbon Close. That was my first attempt at doing an album sleeve and both the album and sleeve design were hits. As a result, journalists were writing about the artworks on the sleeve. That was how I found myself in that field from which I have earned a living for thirty years now.


Marijuana
Experience has shown that people derive inspiration from different sources. Some people need to spike the system in order to get inspired. Some need to drink or smoke. But me, I was born a teetotaller and I am still one. I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't womanise but I humanize. I don't believe too much in external influence. Also I don't judge people based on what they drink or smoke.


Working for Fela
I did not work for Fela, I worked with him because his was movement from the universe. It's been pre-ordained that my path would cross with Fela's for the purpose of celebrating Africa. I told you that I am a pan-Africanist. I didn't get that from Fela. And that is why we are able to combine to that extent. Fela had his own character, we are two different entities but we had a purpose. I was close to Fela for four years, 1974-1978. We still worked together in the 1990s but we were not as close as before. It was more like a business relationship.


Why I parted with Fela
It was because we were two different characters. It got to a stage my character was clashing with his. So, I felt that if the mountain would not leave Mohammad, Muhammad should leave the mountain. So we had to step aside for peace to prevail. That is how I will like to put it. Fela is a genius, an iconoclast, a humanist, a liberator, a maverick, many things rolled into one. Creative geniuses, when they get to their heights, they are eccentric in nature. They can not behave like normal human beings because they are supranormal.


Fela's album sleeves designed
I specifically designed 26 albums covers for Fela's music between 1974 and 1993. They include Alagbon Close (1974), No Bread, JJC, Everything Scatter, Zombie, Kalakuta Show, Yellow Fever, Upside down, Beast of no nation, Confusion break bone, Overtake don overtake, overtake, No agreement, Fear not for man, Stalemate, among others.


Challenges
The challenges I faced in those days concerned how I would be able to illustrate the covers successfully. Today, the challenges I face is more on the global scene, the global market. I am trying to reach out to the global market. The world is my oyster. I travel in-and-out. You see, we have remained in this mental slavery for too long.


Exhibitions
There was a Black President Exhibition going on around the world. The Art and Legacy of Fela Anikulapo Kuti, that was the title of the exhibition. It's about Fela's life. There is this guy called Trevor Schumacher. He is just 32 years old. He has dedicated the last six years to the project. The first exhibition took place in New York last year. Because I designed most of Fela's album covers, I was part of the exhibition.

My solo exhibition was called PEACE, an acronym for Pictorial Evolution Acknowledging Conscious Emancipation. The exhibition was held in London.


Insuring art works
Definitely, the idea is good. In Africa, we say God is our insurance. But heaven helps those who help themselves. An artwork is a very valuable commodity. A lot of people invest in art. It appreciates in value even more than real estates with time. When the artist dies, his value increases so much. So, a lot of people buy artworks for keeps. Why it is good to insure artworks is that, in case they get stolen. It's like insuring your house or car against any eventuality. All my works are insured, so it's good.


Future plans
I wish to take my works around the world, spread my philosophy. That's my dream. So, that's the fulfilment of my destiny. Nigerian society worships money and materials but I'm not crazy about all that. Money will come later.


Awards
I have received several awards such as the Nigerian Music Awards, FAME Music Awards. Twice, I was nominated by each of the organisers of the awards.


Computer advent
Yes, you have to be smart. In 1992, a friend of mine came and said I should buy a computer that with the way technology was going graphic designing would be done on computer. He told me I might be left behind if I didn't learn computer. So, I bought a computer in 1992 and I learnt corel draw. That's what I've survived on till date. All these new graphics done on the works of Tony Tetuila, Eedris, and others were done on the computer. So my company handles designing and printing. The advent of computer has brought about a decline in creativity. The essence of real creativity has been slowed down. You know that some of these new artistes don't even have strong lyrical contents. So what am I to illustrate in that? It's like when I came back to Nigeria and I listened to Eedris Abdulkareem's song "Jagajaga", I told myself, this would be something good to illustrate. So, I did it.


Relaxation
I have been a workaholic. So, I work and when I'm working, I'm playing. I listen to music, I read and make researches. I don't really socialise because I get bored easily. I don't drink, I don't smoke so what am I doing with leisure?


Philosophy
Simplicity. Just be simple. I don't like Shakara. I don't want to carry loads on my shoulder. In this society, we are too conscoius of power.


Prospects for my works
Already, the University of Mainz, Germany had started using my works as theses for close to 15 years now. I've started giving lectures on my works and all that because, I want to leave behind the legacy for the coming generations