Written by: Tosin Ajogbeje /Date:2020/09/16
When we talk about a pioneer who campaigned for an avant-garde movement and fought for women’s rights during the anti-colonial struggles, we can think of Frances Abigail Olufunmilayo Thomas. Known as “The Mother of Africa”, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was a fierce advocate and political leader. She advocated to stimulate a perceptive discourse around undeserved disparities in Nigeria, especially among women. Not just a political activist, Funmi Kuti was a representative of the feminist cause, which embodies equal rights for women. One should not fail to mention that she is the mother of one of the world’s most prolific musician, Fela Kuti, and a renowned medical practitioner, Beko Ransome-Kuti and a former health minister of Nigeria, Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti.
Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was born on October 25, 1900, in Abeokuta, Nigeria. She was the first of many notable things, from being the first female student to attend the Abeokuta Grammar School, and well-known for being the first woman in Nigeria to drive a car. After completing her secondary education at Abeokuta Grammar school, and later completing her studies at England, she soon returned to Nigeria as a teacher. She soon married one of the founders of both the Nigeria Union of Teachers and of the Nigerian Union of Students, Reverend Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti. Reverend Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti was also a leading advocate and educationist who defended vulnerable persons in Nigeria.
Throughout her career, she was an educator and activist. Soon after, she established the Abeokuta Ladies Club (ALC) which later became the Abeokuta Women’s Union (AWU) to protect and further the rights of women. The AWU stood out as a women’s organization in the twentieth century because of its impressive membership reaching thousands of women as members. AWU later expanded to the Federation of Nigerian Women’s Societies (FNWS) in 1953. Funmi Kuti ensured that FNWS addressed the concerns of all Nigerian women, while focusing on pertinent issues, education, suffrage, health care, and other social services.
Why her story counts today?
One of her greatest advocacy efforts was when she led a protest against Native Authorities, including the Alake of Egbaland in response to the misappropriation of taxes. She presented relevant documents maintaining the abuse of authority by the Alake, who had been granted the right to collect the taxes by his colonial ruler, the Government of the United Kingdom. Following this, he relinquished his crown for a time. Funmi Kuti actively supervised the successful abolishing of separate tax rates for women. She also advocated for women’s right to vote. For many years she was a member of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons party (NCNC). Because she was not elected to a federal parliamentary seat, she was later expelled from the political party.
Overtime, she remained a strong political activist, and her three sons were highly immersed in the “state of affairs”, particularly opposing various Nigerian military factions. As a result of advocating against the military regime, Funmi Kuti’s household (the Kalakuta Republic) was stormed by about 1000 armed military personnel. She was thrown from a second-floor window and sustained several injuries, which ended up putting her into shock. She later passed away on 13th April 1978.
A powerful voice in the society and a revolutionary, Funmi Kuti represented a powerhouse that led mass demonstrations and fought for equal access to education and human rights.
It’s no wonder she incited immense change and influenced today’s social dialogue about the inclusion of women in political offices in Nigeria and female representation on diverse world platforms and organizations.
Check back here for more info on leading pioneers coming soon!!
*Research/Reference links are included in the blog*