ZIMBABWEANS / AFRICANS rep at FELA! Opening with Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith & Jay Z!

I think 2010 is the year for Africans!

Y’all are just repping hard – working hard under the radar. I see you & I salute y’all!

This past weekend the cast and crew of Fela!, held a small cocktail party to welcome celebrity Executive Producers Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith to the team [Jay Z is also Excutive Producer]. Fela! is an amazing musical & dance extravaganza that celebrates & salutes the life of Nigeria’s revolutionary singer, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, creator of Afro-Beat.

Tony Award winner winner Director& Choreographer Bill T. Jones co-conceived the musical Fela!, which he also directed and choreographed. The musical stage-play stars Sahr Ngaujah [first generation Sierra Leonean] and Kevin Mambo, who alternate in the title role.

From l to r – Kevin, Bill T & Sahr

Cast members repping Zimbabwe include…

Kevin Mambo – Fela Anikulapo-Kuti

my namesake, Farai Malianga – Musician

with Rujeko Sarah Dumbutshena – Ensemble

The star-studded opening was held last year on November 23rd at the Eugene O’Neill Theater. I covered the red carpet and after party for the opening![BANANAS!] Peep the video from Fela!

Flicks of  fab Africans making it happen on New York City’s Broadway…

with one of Fela’s sons [dude in the middle]

with Sahr Ngaujah (Sierra Leone) – Fela Anikulapo-Kuti

with Saycon Sengbloh – Sandra Isadore

with actor, Jeffrey Wright – married to Carmen Ejogo [her dad is Nigerian & her mom is Scottish]

with actor, Roger Guenveur Smith

Fun times!

Please, please, please support & continue to support Fela! by going out to see it! Buy tickets & check ‘em out at the Eugene O’Neill Theater. It is out of this world! It is a cultural but informative experience of Africa…

As usual, please leave your thoughts, comments….below! Heart ya for it!

Holla!