Fela on Margaret Thatcher

Brits who were of age during Margaret Thatcher’s tenure as Prime Minister (1979-90) are very divided on how they feel about her. All this has of course been stirred up by the new film, “Iron Lady” in which Meryl Streep is a dead ringer for her. Meryl is an uncanny doppelganger, whether as a Polish mother or a British leader.

Fela Anikulapo Kuti made no bones about how he felt about Margaret Thatcher. Or Reagan. Or Gorbachev, for that matter. Just look at the cover art of his 1989 lp Beasts of No Nation. Fela’s feelings are abundantly clear. The Prime Minister is on the left. If you look closely, there is blood dripping from the fangs of the three leaders.