Managing my friend Fela Kuti, the pioneer of Afrobeat

Rikki Stein dropped out of school as a teenager without much of a plan, but quickly embedded himself in London's music scene. By the mid-1960s he was in his early twenties and touring musicians like The Grateful Dead and Jimi Hendrix across Europe. Then a chance encounter led him to Morrocco where he first heard the Sufi group The Master Musicians of Joujouka, and he toured them around Europe, too. Rikki met the Nigerian Afrobeat musician Fela Kuti in London in the 1970s and the pair struck up an immediate friendship. Soon, Rikki became Fela's manager alongside Francis Kertekian. Since Fela's death Rikki has worked to preserve his legacy.

In 2019, Nupur Gupta was teaching at a yoga retreat in Goa when she got into difficulty in the sea. A Hungarian man called Attila Bosnyak who was on the same yoga retreat was passing the beach, saw her in trouble and sprang into action. A dramatic rescue followed and a strong bond was formed between Nupur and Attila. That could have been the end of the story but instead it was the start of an on-going romantic relationship and the beginning of a journey into parenthood. They spoke to Mobeen Azhar in 2021.

Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: May Cameron

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(Photo: Fela Kuti and Rikki Stein sit next to each other, slouched against a pink wall or surface, their shoulders touching. They look directly into the camera with neutral expressions on their faces. Fela Kuti wears an orange shirt with a few buttons undone and Rikki Stein wears a colourful printed shirt. Credit: Rikki Stein)