“My Friend Fela” provides a new perspective on the Nigerian musician Fela Kuti, to counter the “eccentric African pop idol of the ghetto” vision people have, according to director Joel Zito Araújo. 

Fela’s complex existence is told through the eyes and conversations with close friend and official biographer, African-Cuban Carlos Moore. As the documentary unfolds, it reveals the many influences and forces that shaped Fela’s extraordinary life: from the relationship with his mother to his many and problematic relationships with women, from his ties with his spiritual advisor to his mutually influential encounters with African Americans.