. >> archival: nigeria's rebel eastern state, the republic of biafra, declared itss independence. >>val: soldiers of the breakaway province suffered heavy casualties and ultimate defeat. 1000 biafrans a day died of starvation. >> anthony: the music was a defiant middle finger to war, to corruption, and to repressive military rule. >> man in black glasses: you know how military dictators try to control everything. >> anthony: but of all the music at the time, nothing and nobody took it directly to the people in such explicitly confrontational terms, its afro-beat and its architect, fela kuti. when the government were giving fela a hard time because he was specifically protesting by name, specific things. i mean they identified him as an existential threat. he was. people would show up at the shrine and what's he going to say, what's he mad about today. ♪ fela was an african superstar. a loud, persistent, and unwavering voice of opposition and resistance. ♪ >> man in black glasses: people protested but they didn't name names, but fela would name names and would say you're a [ muted ] t