• Super Admin
• 07 Mar, 2026

At the height of the #EndSARS protests in October 2020, when many streets in Lagos were filled with demonstrations, sirens and the voices of young Nigerians demanding justice, visual artist Mitchelle James Innocent was creating a different form of protest inside his studio. While the movement was shaping a new language of resistance for a generation, the artist was working on a 36 by 36-inch oil painting inspired by the life and activism of Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo Kuti. The painting, titled Passion for All; Fela's Call (2020), reimagines Fela not just as a musician but as what the artist describes as an "Emperor of Music." However, the artwork is now missing. Rewriting Art History Through Fela The painting draws inspiration from the famous 1805 artwork by Jacques-Louis David, which depicts Napoleon Bonaparte crossing the Alps. In the historic painting, Napoleon is portrayed as heroic and commanding. Mitchelle adopts the same powerful visual style but replaces military conquest with musical and social resistance. In the artwork, Fela is shown riding a rearing white horse. Instead of holding a sword, he carries his orange saxophone -- symbolising music as his weapon against injustice. Carved on the rocky ground beneath the horse are several inscriptions including "FELA KUTI," "BONAPARTE," "KWARANTINE," and "PALLIATHIEVES." The contrast is deliberate. Where Napoleon represented imperial power, Fela represents resistance through music and social consciousness. The words "Kwarantine" and "Palliathieves" also serve as satire, reflecting the kind of criticism Fela was known for and imagining what he might have sung about during the COVID-19 pandemic and the controversies surrounding palliative distribution in Nigeria. A Personal Tribute For the artist, the tribute to Fela carries a deeper personal meaning. Mitchelle revealed that he shares the same birth month as the Afrobeat pioneer and was born just four days after him. According to him, this coincidence strengthened his connection to the project. "Sharing a birth month with Fela made the tribute deeply personal," he said. "It feels like our timelines echo each other. His courage shaped my understanding of art as a tool for protest." The painting was created as a posthumous birthday honour to the late musician. Protest Within Protest The work was produced during the peak of the #EndSARS movement, which saw thousands of young Nigerians protest against police brutality. The movement, which gained global attention, was seen by many as a continuation of the type of resistance Fela championed during his lifetime. In the painting, the rearing horse symbolises tension and movement -- reflecting a nation pushing through struggle and resistance. The background also features Nigeria's yellow trumpet flower, while the horse carries accents of the country's green-white-green colours as well as Pan-African elements, emphasising identity and unity. Exhibition and Cultural Significance Before its disappearance, Passion for All; Fela's Call had been publicly exhibited at several locations. It was displayed at the New Afrika Shrine during Felabration in 2024 and also shown at Art Hotel Lagos. During its last exhibition in 2024, the painting was valued at about ₦500,000. Beyond its monetary value, the work was seen as a bridge between classical European art traditions, Afrobeat activism, the COVID-19 era, and youth-led protest culture. How the Painting Went Missing In January 2025, the artist relocated from Lagos and left part of his artworks in his former studio in Satellite Town. Access to the studio was later granted on different occasions to coordinate exhibitions and arrange international shipments of some works. By August 2025, most of the remaining pieces had been documented and sent out. However, the artist later discovered that Passion for All; Fela's Call was missing. The disappearance was confirmed in October 2025, and after attempts to locate the artwork failed, the matter was reported at a police station in Satellite Town. The artist has warned that the painting remains his intellectual property. According to him, any attempt to reproduce, digitise, replicate, mint, or commercially exploit the work without written permission would violate copyright laws and could attract legal action. A Cultural Loss. Mitchelle describes the disappearance as more than the loss of a personal artwork. He believes the painting represents an important cultural moment that connected Fela's legacy with modern youth protest movements. "This was not just a painting," he said. "It was created in the spirit of protest and in honour of the man who shaped my understanding of courage." The artist has appealed to collectors, curators, galleries and members of the public to report any information about the artwork or attempts to sell it. According to him, recovering the painting would mean more than retrieving a canvas -- it would mean restoring a voice from a defining moment in Nigeria's cultural and political history. Source: https://independent.ng/when-protest-becomes-portrait-the-disappearance-of-passion-for-all-felas-call-2/