Finding Fela

Olivia Flores Alvarez August 28, 2014 4:00AM

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We like to “watch” movies rather than “listen” to them, but Finding Fela is an exception. We can close our eyes and “listen” to Finding Fela and get the documentary’s full message. Fela Kuti was the founder of the Afrobeat music genre and as such changed the face of music in Africa and around the world. An activist against the Nigerian dictatorship and an advocate for AIDS education/prevention in Africa, he was a controversial and powerful opponent of what passed for the status quo on that continent before his death in 1997. “Music is the Weapon.” It’s a motto Fela made famous, and one that still guides those who continue his work. Alex Gibney’s 2014 documentary gets its Houston debut during this run in the MFAH Film Premieres series.

7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. Sunday. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1001 Bissonnet. For information, call 713-639-7515 or visit mfah.org. $9.
Aug. 29-30, 7 p.m.; Sun., Aug. 31, 5 p.m., 2014