Nigerian photographer Bolaji Alonge’s photographs of the New Afrika Shrine in Lagos have been featured in a new limited-edition vinyl release of Fela Kuti’s Zombie.
The edition is a collaboration between American fashion brand Denim Tears and the Fela Kuti Estate, with designer Tremaine Emory reimagining the album’s packaging.
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According to Partisan Records, Emory used photographs of the New Afrika Shrine taken by Mr Alonge, along with elements from Nigerian artist Lemi Ghariokwu’s original artwork. The new design was created to connect the album back to Lagos and the Shrine while paying tribute to Mr Ghariokwu’s original work.
The release, limited to 1,000 vinyl copies, is scheduled for 9 October. The records will be available through Dover Street Market in London, Turntable Lab in the United States, and the online stores of Partisan Records and Fela Kuti.
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How Alonge’s Photos Became Part of ‘Zombie’
Mr Alonge’s photographs were taken at the New Afrika Shrine, a Lagos venue closely associated with Fela Kuti’s musical legacy.
Fela’s original Afrika Shrine was the Lagos venue where he built his reputation as a musician and political voice. The New Afrika Shrine later became part of the Kuti family’s efforts to preserve and continue that legacy.
For the new Zombie edition, Mr Emory chose photographs from that contemporary Lagos setting and placed them alongside the original album’s visual language.
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The result connects two periods of Fela’s history: the era in which Zombie was created and the present-day cultural life surrounding the New Afrika Shrine.
Mr Alonge has spent years documenting Lagos and Nigerian culture through his photography project, Eyes of a Lagos Boy. His work includes images connected to the Kuti family, Afrobeat, and the New Afrika Shrine.
His photographs now form part of the physical packaging of one of Fela’s most recognised albums.
New look for Fela’s ‘Zombie’
Fela released Zombie in 1976, and the album became one of his best-known works and a major part of his criticism of Nigeria’s military government.
The title track criticised soldiers who blindly followed orders, comparing them to zombies.
READ ALSO: Why we didn’t sell Fela’s catalogue – Femi Kuti
The album angered the military government. On February 18, 1977, soldiers attacked Fela’s Kalakuta Republic in Lagos, setting the compound on fire and assaulting people inside. Fela’s mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, was thrown from a window during the attack and later died from injuries linked to the incident.
The original Zombie album artwork was designed by Lemi Ghariokwu.
For the new edition, Emory has combined elements of Ghariokwu’s original artwork with Alonge’s photographs of the New Afrika Shrine.
According to Partisan Records, the new packaging was designed to connect the album to Lagos and the Shrine while giving it a new visual identity.
From Lagos to a new generation
The new edition comes as Fela’s music and legacy continue to attract attention worldwide.
Fela was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2026 and received the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award this year. His music and influence have also continued to inspire artists across music, fashion and visual culture.
For Alonge, the new edition adds another chapter to his work documenting Lagos and its cultural history.
His photographs, originally made in Lagos, will now appear on a limited physical edition of an album whose history is deeply connected to the city and to Fela’s political and musical legacy.
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