Go for what you want!

Go for what you want!

No slacking!

Sandra Smith and Fela Kuti (1969)

Meet Sandra Smith, a young dancer with afro hair, met Fela Kuti at a concert in Los Angeles in 1969.

“Fela asked my name and I told him,” Sandra said. “Then he asked if I had a car. I said ‘Yes.’ He said ‘Good.’ Then, ‘You’re coming with me’.”

“I was surprised because no one had ever spoken to me like that before. I didn’t say no.”

Sandra became Fela’s girlfriend, friend, and teacher. She gave him a book about Malcolm X and taught him about being proud of his heritage.

Their relationship had good and bad times. This inspired Fela to write the song “My Lady’s Frustration” and create a new kind of music called Afrobeat.