Kalakuther Queen of Felas Republic Work in Progress

Contains themes of violence, political trauma and sexual violence. Open Works Festival presents a work in progress performance of, KalakutHER: Queen of Fela's Republic. 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.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.