Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti
Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti may be remembered around the world as the mother of pioneering Nigerian musician Fela Kuti but her life was so much more than this. Let's take a closer look at this remarkable educator, suffragist, and political campaigner.
Early life and family
Born in Abeokuta, Ogun State in 1900, Funmilayo was blazing a trail for women from the start, being the first female admitted to the Abeokuta Grammar School. As a young woman, she worked as a teacher, organizing classes for low-income women and establishing women's rights groups.
The Lioness of Lisabi
Demanding better representation for women and the removal of unfair market taxes, she led protest marches of up to 10,000 women. Her influence, at home and internationally, began to grow as she drove the creation of the Nigerian Women’s Union and lobbied for the right to vote.
Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti (2019) by Augustus (Gus) Casely-Hayford and Michael BriggsSmithsonian National Museum of African Art
Further political activism
Funmilayo traveled extensively, setting up branches of the NWU and was instrumental in the founding of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons party (NCNC). However, her attempts to get elected were thwarted, largely because most women were denied the vote.
Recognition for her work
In the 1950s, she was appointed to the Western House of Chiefs, the first woman to achieve this, and following independence in 1960 received further recognition for her work with the award of the Order of Niger 1965 and the Lenin Peace Prize in 1970.
It's all in the family
By this time, her son Fela had become a prominent musician and political activist in his own right. He was openly critical of the government and created his own commune where people could gather and share ideas without fear of military reprisals.
A shocking end
Funmilayo was supportive of her son's outspoken opinions. However, in 1978, while visiting him at his compound, more than 1,000 soldiers stormed the building. Funmilayo was thrown from a second floor window, going into a coma and later dying from her injuries.
A legacy that lives on
Funmilayo's reputation may be somewhat overshadowed by the global impact of her son Fela, but her role in advancing the rights of Nigerian women and setting an example for other activists should never be forgotten.
