Carefully preserved in the private archival collection of London-based renowned world music promoter Ben Mandelson are published media reviews, posters, pamphlets, memorabilia, and stage designs of Sikiru Ayinde Barrister’s performances at major international music festivals in Europe in the 1990s. In addition to these print materials—in French, Japanese, German, and English—are account books, receipts, and handwritten notes produced by Mandelson.
Fuji solidified its presence in world music’s print culture and soundscape in the early 1990s, not by accident, but through the intentional marketing strategies of Barrister and GlobeStyle, Mandelson’s record label. During Barrister’s London tour in 1990, GlobeStyle recorded and produced a UK edition of his Fuji Garbage, originally released in Nigeria in 1988. Titled “New Fuji Garbage,” the 1991 British edition retained most of the core lyrics from the original, but it has a faster tempo. It sampled world music festival percussive style and stagecraft.
GlobeStyle did not stop there. On May 5, 1993, it facilitated the recording of Barrister’s performance for the Andy Kershaw Show at Maida Vale Studios in London. The recording was later broadcast on BBC Radio on December 18, 1993.
These London recordings deployed the power of location, race, and agency to firmly insert Fuji into global music, not only through the sound, but also by means of an avalanche of reviews in world music tabloids, facilitated by GlobeStyle.
Fuji became a window to viewing Yoruba culture in Europe! Barrister didn’t just create Fuji—he defined and shaped every element of it—from the obscure communities in the lungu of Mushin to WOMAD, a major world music festival where he performed regularly.
I had a nice time filming and interacting with Mandelson at the Africa Center and his private home in London in December. So, watch-out for Mandelson in “Global Fuji,” Episode III of The Fuji Documentary. In addition to giving me access to his collection, Mandelson allowed me to snap all the materials, which have been used for Chapter 5, of my forthcoming book on Fuji, and will also be used for Episode III of the Documentary.
Special gratitude goes to Alhaji Ismail Adesigbin and Mr. Yinka Shutti, who introduced me to Mandelson and convinced him to grant the interview. And to the Africa Center in London for allowing me to film the interview in their lovely space!
Prof. Saheed Aderinto is a distinguished professor of History.
