The Globalization of Afrobeats Music

Nigerian music, particularly Afrobeats, has increased in popularity around the world, attracting the interest and investment of international record labels. Afrobeats arose as a cultural byproduct of targeted activism. Although its current popularity is well-established, its history and impact, dating back to the late 1960s, cannot not be overlooked. Fela Anikulapo Kuti, a Nigerian human rights activist and singer, influenced the genre. Fela returned to Nigeria and created Afrobeat, influenced by the Black resistance movements he witnessed firsthand in Ghana and the United States. With the rise of Afrobeats, a genuine interest in Africa began to spread throughout the diaspora, as the bridge between Afrobeats and the rest of the world was built song by song.

About the speaker:

Mosun Oke, LL.M., is a student at IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law pursuing a Doctor of Juridical Science degree. Oke received her Bachelor of Laws degree at Ogun State University, which is in Ago-Iwoye in Ogun State, Nigeria. She attended the Nigerian Law School, where she wrote the professional qualification exam and was called to the Nigerian Bar. She obtained an LL.M. in International Commercial Law at the University of Leicester, in Leicester, England. The focus of Oke’s S.J.D. thesis is the use of intellectual property assets as security for debt finance in her home country, Nigeria. Her research examines the current lending ecosystem in Nigeria, and the treatment of intellectual property assets in loan contracts.