Zombies , zombies! Tell am to go straight. No! Tell am to go left! Ahh no just tell am to go kill. We all know they get no break, no job, no sense. They are just common zombies.
These lines echo the famous song “Zombie” by Fela Kuti, which critiqued the Nigerian military government and its mistreatment of citizens. Kuti, celebrated as one of Nigeria’s most influential political critics and activists, is well-known, but today we focus on another notable Kuti.
Frances Abigail Olufunmilayo Thomas was born on October 25th, 1900 in Abeokuta, Nigeria to a Christian-Yoruba family. Thomas was said to have come up in a notable family, affording her the opportunity to be the first female student at the Abeokuta Grammar School. After her studies there, she progressed to Wincham Hall School for Girls in Cheshire, Great Britain from 1919 to 1923. There, she pursued studies in French, elocution, music and dress making. After facing racial discrimination in England, Frances decided to adopt her Yoruba name, Funmilayo, reflecting her commitment to her heritage. Funmilayo in her early years and her later years was always known to be a woman of her community and she focused on uplifting her people. After returning to Nigeria, she taught at her alma mater, Abeokuta Grammar School, where she met the man she would come to marry, Israel Oludotun Ransome Kuti.
This is how Funmilayo became Funmilayo Ransome Kuti.
After her husband became principal of the Abeokuta Grammar School in 1932, Funmilayo seized this opportunity to create the Abeokuta Ladies Club, also known as the ALC, aimed at fostering community among Western-educated women. After a careful review of the economic situation for the women in the town, the group transitioned from a social club to a political and feminist group. Funmilayo sought to help the lower class elevate economically and socially, so in 1944 the ALC officially admitted market women into the organization. These women were generally impoverished, illiterate and taken advantage of by local governments, so the group was meant to give them a voice and sense of protection. Because of the dramatic shift in the organization, in 1946, the ALC transitioned into the Abeokuta Women’s Union and became open to all the women in Abeokuta. By popular demand, Kuti was instated as the first president of the AWU. Through her work, the AWU became a national organization and was renamed the Nigerian Women’s Union in 1949 and again renamed the Federation of Nigerian Women’s Society in 1953.
The introduction of market women in the AWU raised awareness of the unfair taxes imposed on them by the government. Eager to make a change, Kuti along with members of the organization revolted against the local government. This aggression was not a surprise as the tensions had been brewing for sometime. As early as 1918, tax policies had been introduced that required women as young as 15 to pay three shillings a year as income tax, whereas men were not expected to pay until they turned 18. Over the years, the friction between the local government and the people of Abeokuta had not eased up. The frustration of the women in Abeokuta became known as the ‘Great Weep’. The protest saw women weeping uncontrollably over their grievances. After numerous complaints went unheard, Kuti gathered her women and stormed the palace of Oba Ademola II. Funmilayo and her members spent their days and nights chanting war songs, demanding the dismissal of the unfair taxes. Funmilayo’s husband, after witnessing the struggle, gathered the men of Abeokuta where they made a unanimous decision to support their wives. They too pleaded with Oba Ademola II. Their efforts were successful because Ademola suspended taxes and went into exile in Osogbo, Nigeria. This was a very important ark for women of the time because they were able to create a change by using their voices.
Funmilayo’s presence in Nigerian society and her fight for women’s rights gave way for her to be branded as ‘a person who did not believe in Nigerian democracy’. The Nigerian Tribune newspaper once called the AWU the “Terrorist Women’s Union of Abeokuta”. Funmilayo however persisted in her fight. She went on to become the only woman of 28 members in the Abeokuta Provincial Conference, which worked on a new constitution from 1948 to 1951. By 1952, she used the support she garnered to earn the position as world vice-president of the Women’s International Democratic Federation. Funmilayo, in 1959, ran for the House of Representative which she did not win but it inspired the founding of her own political party, known as the Commoners Peoples Party.
In 1966, Nigeria came under military rule, leading to the dissolution of all political parties. Following in his mother’s footsteps, Fela Kuti, a prominent Nigerian musician and activist, used his platform to vocally criticize the military regime. The Kuti family’s outspoken opposition to the government made them targets of aggression. In February 1977, soldiers raided the Kuti home, causing significant destruction. During the chaos, Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, who was present at the time, was thrown from a two-story window by a soldier. The fall resulted in a stroke from which she never recovered, and she passed away in April 1978. The Nigerian government did not take full responsibility for the incident. To honor his mother and continue her fight against the military regime, Fela Kuti composed the song “Unknown Soldier” and his well-known hit “Zombie,” both of which criticized the government’s actions and paid tribute to his mother’s legacy.
Funmilayo devoted her entire life to advancing the rights and well-being of women in Nigeria and beyond. Unfortunately, her story is often overshadowed by that of her son, Fela. What makes her truly remarkable is not just her achievements but also her ability to accomplish them as a woman in her era. Funmilayo Ransome Kuti’s legacy continues to inspire and resonate deeply with many Nigerians and Africans today.