Movement of the People

The Movement of the People, commonly abbreviated as MOP or M.O.P, is a Nigerian left-wing pan-African political movement.[1] The organisation was originally formed by Fela Anikulapo Kuti in 1979 as a political party but quickly became inactive due to Fela's confrontations with the government of the day.[2] It has since been revived by Fela's youngest son, Seun Kuti in the wake of the Nigerian End SARS protests of October 2020.[3]

Movement of the People
AbbreviationMOP
LeaderSeun Anikulapo-Kuti
FounderFela Kuti
Founded1979
HeadquartersAllen 100271, Ikeja
IdeologyPan-Africanism
African socialism
Nkrumaism
Political positionLeft-wing
SloganLiberation Generation
Website
www.mopnigeria.org

History

In 1979, Fela Kuti formed a political movement, which he called Movement of the People (MOP), to "clean up society like a mop".[4] MOP preached Nkrumahism and Africanism.[2][5] In 1979, he nominated himself for president in Nigeria's first elections in decades, but his candidature was refused. Subsequently, Fela stopped engaging in political activities and the party became inactive.

In November 2020, Seun Kuti announced the revival of the organisation and the intention to re-register it as a political party. He said that the organisation was being re-established to serve as an opposition to the country’s elites. During a live press conference, Seun explained that the Movement of the People (MOP) was a coalition of socialist and progressive organisations.[3] In January 2021, Seun informed the press that a formal request had been sent to INEC to register the movement as a political party.[6]

References
  1. "#EndSARS: Seun Kuti Revives Fela's Movement Of The People, Calls For Better Governance". 17 November 2020. Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  2. Collins, John (5 June 2015). Fela: Kalakuta Notes. Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 9780819575401.
  3. "Seun Kuti Relaunches Fela's 'Movement of the People' Political Party". 18 November 2020. Archived from the original on 18 November 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  4. Barrett, Lindsay (September 2011) [March 1998]. "Fela Kuti: Chronicle of A Life Foretold". The Wire. No. 169. Retrieved 2015-06-13.
  5. Fela Kuti: Music is the Weapon. Directors Jean-Jacques Flori and Stephane Tchalgadjieff. 1982. Universal Import. March 2004.
  6. Bamidele, Michael (2021-01-16). "Seun Kuti Set To Register Fela's Political Party "Movement Of The People"". The Guardian Life. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
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