The date of the 2010 AMAs also co-incides with the late Fela Kuti’s birthday, born 15 October 1938 and are thus dedicated to this Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer. He was also a human rights activist, politicial maverick and pioneer of Afrobeat, a complex fusion of jazz, funk (especially the music of James Brown), Ghanaian/Nigerian high-life, psychedelic rock and traditional West African chants and rhythms. Afrobeat also borrows heavily from the native ‘tinker pan’ African-style percussion that Kuti acquired while studying in Ghana with South Africa’s Hugh Masakela.
An audience of 10,000 is expected and 10% of the ceremony’s proceeds will go towards supporting UNICEF’s project of helping HIV/Aids Orphans in Africa.
