A Missing Painting, a Shared Birth Month, and the Emperor of Music Reimagined
In October 2020, at a time when Lagos was vibrating with unrest, sirens, and the voices of young Nigerians demanding justice, visual artist Mitchelle James Innocent was in his studio painting a different kind of protest.
Outside, the #EndSARS movement was rewriting the vocabulary of resistance for a new generation. Inside, on a 36 x 36 inch canvas, the spirit of Fela Anikulapo Kuti — the original musical insurgent — was being resurrected.
The result was Passion for All; Fela’s Call (2020), an equestrian oil painting that reimagines Fela not merely as musician, but as what the artist calls an “Emperor of Music.” Today, that painting is missing.
Rewriting Art History in the Voice of an Emperor of Music
The work draws direct inspiration from Jacques-Louis David’s 1805 masterpiece depicting Napoleon Crossing the Alps. In David’s painting, Napoleon is elevated — heroic, commanding, immortalised in motion.
Mitchelle adopts this imperial visual language but replaces conquest with consciousness.
On the rearing white horse sits Fela — not armed with a sword, but with his orange saxophone. His weapon is sound. His command is rhythm. His battlefield is injustice.
Carved into the rocky terrain beneath the horse are layered inscriptions: “FELA KUTI” “BONAPARTE” “KWARANTINE” “PALLIATHIEVES”
The juxtaposition is deliberate. Where Napoleon’s name once symbolised empire, Fela’s name now symbolizes defiance. Where traditional power wielded steel, Fela wielded lyrics.
The words “Kwarantine” and “Palliathieves” function as satirical interventions — imagining what Fela might have composed had he been alive during the COVID-19 pandemic and its political controversies.
Born Four Days Apart
This tribute was not purely intellectual.
Mitchelle James Innocent shares the same birth month as Fela — born just four days after the Afrobeat pioneer.
For the artist, this proximity is symbolic.
“Sharing a birth month with Fela made this tribute deeply personal,” he explains. “It feels like our timelines echo each other. His fire influenced my understanding of art as weapon.”
The painting was created as a posthumous birthday honour — an offering across generations.
Protest Within Protest
The painting was executed during the height of the #EndSARS protests in Lagos — a movement defined by youth, technology, and collective memory.
Fela’s life was marked by agitation for human rights, fearless criticism of governance, and unwavering belief in African dignity. In many ways, 2020 felt like a continuation of his unfinished chorus.
In Passion for All; Fela’s Call, the horse strains upward in tension — symbolic of a nation in motion, climbing through resistance. The background is layered with Nigeria’s yellow trumpet flower. The horse bears green-white-green accents and Pan-African colours. Identity is not subtle here — it is declared.
Exhibition History and Cultural Footprint
Before its disappearance, the painting was publicly exhibited, including at the New Afrika Shrine during Felabration 2024 and at Art Hotel Lagos.
At its most recent exhibition in 2024, the piece was valued at ₦500,000. More than monetary value, however, the work carried generational resonance — bridging classical European art history, Afrobeat resistance, pandemic satire, and youth protest culture.
The Disappearance
In January 2025, the artist relocated from Lagos, leaving part of his collection in his former studio in Satellite Town. Access to the studio was granted on different occasions for exhibition coordination and international shipment of works. By August 2025, the remaining pieces had been documented and sent. One was missing.
In October 2025, the absence of Passion for All; Fela’s Call was confirmed. After attempts to resolve the matter, the incident was formally reported at the nearest police station in Satellite Town, Lagos State.
Intellectual Property and Warning
The artwork remains the intellectual property of Mitchelle James Innocent. Any attempt to reproduce, replicate, mint, digitise, or commercially exploit the work without written permission constitutes a violation of copyright law and will be pursued legally.
A Cultural Loss, Not Just a Personal One
The disappearance of this painting raises questions that extend beyond ownership. When art born from protest goes missing, what else disappears with it? Memory? Documentation? Continuity?
Mitchelle describes the loss as both personal and symbolic: “This was not just a painting. It was created in the spirit of protest, in honour of the Emperor of Music who shaped my understanding of courage. Losing it feels like losing a chapter of my own creative identity.”
The artist is appealing to collectors, curators, galleries, and the public to report any sighting or attempted sale. Because sometimes, recovering art is not about reclaiming canvas. It is about restoring a voice.
