Pen-L'ers, Amidst all the interpretive differences over the meaning of Burroughs' life, writings, and death, no one has mentioned the passing of another important -- in my mind, much more politically important -- "cultural worker" -- the self-styled Nigerian musician/dissident, Fela Kuti. Fela Kuti, despite the bizarre contradicitions of his personal life (e.g. he married all 30-or-so of his female backup singers in a ceremony in the late 70's), was a consistently harsh critic of the brutal policies imposed by the string of neo-colonial (and usually military) kleptocracies that have long ruled Nigeria. His rhythmic and orchestral compositions, which were unyielding in their populist satire of Nigeria's comprador class, were a great achievement of mixing art and politics. I don't know that much about Nigeria, or even the experience and work of Fela Kuti, but what little I do know, makes me mourn his passing. John Gulick UC-Santa Cruz
