18 February 1977. One thousand soldiers stormed the Kalakuta Republic. They burned the compound to the ground, murdered Nigeria's matriarch of activism, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, and brutalised 37 women in an attempt to silence the Afrobeat movement forever. They failed.
The Kalakuta Queens – wives, fashion icons, creative collaborators, and fierce activists – rebuilt the revolution from the ashes.
Approaching the 50th anniversary of the raid, KalakutHER brings their untold testimonies to the stage. This visceral work-in-progress fuses explosive live percussion, physical theatre, and first-hand accounts – shaped through the directorial evolution of DYCP-supported artist Segun Ogundipe, whose journey from performer to director is woven into the very DNA of the work.
KalakutHER is a raw, celebratory, and urgent reclamation of the women who didn't just back the music – they kept it alive.
Event description by organisers.
- Featured in
- Black History Month in Sheffield
