APPARENTLY motivated by forces that are not unconnected with cultural imperialism, Western writers and critics of the arts continue to attribute the success of African musicians to western influences - even where there is no justification for it at all.

Recent reviews on Nigeria's Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and Senegal's Youssou N'dour, two major giants of African Music are clear indicatives of this trend.

Recently, a grand exhibition was held in New York on the life and times of afrobeat music originator, Fela Anikulapo Kuti apparently to mark six years after his demise. The event was organized courtesy of Trevor Schoonmaker, an independent curator living in New York. He is also the director of the Fela Project, a multimedia initiative on the influence of the afrobeat icon. A book described as an amazing compendium of a work about the seminal 20th century African musical icon and activist was also launched.

The book received a lot of critical reviews, some of which described it as an excellent collection of articles, "giving so many angles for us to understand one of the most crucial African figures of this age". Ahmir Thompson described the book as a tripping excursion into the world of conscious hero and musical icon, recommending it as a must-read for all music lovers and people who care about the history and future of Africa and Africans around the world.

The main description however sees Fela as the combination of the elements of Bob Marley, Malcon X and Patrice Lumumba, but claims that it is this combination that "gives us the sense of the power of the world's wildest rock star however goes on to reaffirm that Fela created afrobeat an infectious mix of American funk and jazz with traditional Yoruba and highlife music, and used it to rail against corrupt hypocritical Nigerian government. Demonstrating more interest in Fela's political life, the description says that the police repeatedly targeted the icon and military for his rebellious, centre culture life style. And, viewing a political ploy, a gimmick of circumstance which was designed merely to enhance Fela's artistic temperament for taking his afrobeat to inspired musician heights as a concrete reality, the review states that "Fela created a political party and seceded from the Nigerian State, renaming his commune the independent Kalakuta Republic".

In all these reviews, Fela's iconoclastic stance, the fact that he got married to 27 wives and his confrontation with the government seem to be the main sources of interest. The implication of his music as the force behind today's world beat is often relegated to the background. Otherwise, why would a reviewer begin his story like this.

"Fela Anikulapoo Kuti was James Bond, Newton, Rick James, Bob Marley, Duke Ellington, ODB and all rolled in one black African fist" as if the amalgamation of the music of all these musicians who are superstars and virtuosos in their own rights amounts to the black music that Fela's afrobeat represents".

The combination of all these artistes' forms would not result in Jeun Koku. Don't Gag Me, Yellow Fever, Beast of No Nation or Water No Get Enemy. Musically, Fela was far ahead of Rick James, James Brown, and Newton. As a jazz musician, he was on the level of Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, John Coltrane and all, he was the greatest of them all.

He went a step further to create his own individuality both as a saxophonist, arranger, composer, and singer. Even when he was still playing the trumpet, you could not put him down to Thad Jones, Miles Davis, Lee Morgan or anybody. He was himself. He used his jazz experience to create a fusion of highlife, an almost all-Nigerian indigenous music form. If you were to put names to Fela's influence they would include the likes of Haruna Isola, Yusuf Olatunji, Victor Olaiya, Ezigbo Obiligbo, Ambrose Campbell, Irewolede Denge, Mamman Shatta and others, not any foreign musician from Europe or America.

The soaring fame of Senegal's Youssou N'dour came into the public ear over a decade ago. A genuine superstar in his home country since the 80s when his name was already painted on fishing boats, taxis and walls, the obvious word to describe N'dours' early success is phenomenal, but he has never been carried away by his popularity, rather he has sustained a reputation of good music at home and abroad.

Although steeped in traditional culture, N'dours has always preferred to look forward, singing about contemporary issues and backing it up with the mbalax rhythm.

It is true that he worked with Peter Gabriel, but the association was that of mutual respect for each other's artistic contributions. However, his success in America and the international scene is being credited to Gabriel as if he had any contributions to make to the traditional, rhythmic patterns of the mbalax which constitute the moving force behind N'dours' music.

One story describes N'dours music as part of a wave in the wide world beyond the American hit parade, attributing N'dours success to the fact that he was included on Gabriel's song, in your eyes in 1985. Since then, according to writer Joseph woodard, world music has turned itself inside out trying to figure out how to mold culture seamlessly.

On Jako, N'dours first new album released in the United State in six years, the review acclaims that its by engaging production polish reveals some kind of epic musical effort. It admits that African elements are in place, with the central role of the Senegalese mbalax musical style and touches of indigenous griot tradition. He is however quick to add, "but we also recognize more familiar Americanism, a veneer of rock and soul qualities and hints of poop music machinery in the crafting of the music".

This is the trend that characterizes reviews on African musicians who are in limelight. The critics know deep down that these stars are genuinely great, and so cannot be ignored. But they choose to contradict themselves, speak in equivocation in order to subjugate their briliant efforts under western influences.

The youssou N'dour album in question is deeply rooted in mbalax traditional music form and deals essentially on socio-economic topics, from celebrating women, as in she doesn't need to fall, to political corruption, madema-meaning electricity is out again and the sweet anthematic clozer, Red clay. N'dours voice traces the arc of a confident, calibrated emotionality from a lucid state to a high, wailing melisma. The album in fact offers further proof that N'dour is one of our living purveyors of song - whatever the cultural origin.