Wonder Woman of the Week: Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti

This week's heroine was a champion of women's rights in Nigeria during the middle of the 20th Century. For her work as a teacher, social activist, and political organizer, Ransome-Kuti is remembered by Nigerians today as a "lioness" of politics who helped launch the feminist movement in Nigeria- and for the continent of Africa. Ransome-Kuti equally raised powerful children who would go on to continue her legacy through social activism, education, and music.

The 1940's was a crucial decade for Nigeria. The British Empire was on the verge of granting the colony its independence and the colony's political climate was taking shape. During this decade, a classically educated Ransome-Kuti returned from England to her home nation to gender inequality where local kings imposed unfair taxes on women who did not enjoy the same right to vote as their male counterparts. Ransome-Kuti responded to the inequality by organizing the first union for female political activists in Nigeria and campaigned for their right to vote- even protesting outside of one king's palace until he capitulated and granted women suffrage.

During the Cold War, European powers rapidly decolonized the continent of Africa including the British in Nigeria. This rapid decolonization resulted in mass chaos across the continent including territorial conflicts and civil wars. During the 1950's Ransome-Kuti angered the Nigerian, British, and US Governments by traveling across the world- including to the USSR- to learn more about feminist movements across the world so she could return to Nigeria to expand on her success. Upon her return to Nigeria, Ransome-Kuti introduced Communist ideas into her political movement which allowed her feminist ideological political party to succeed in gaining control of the government. In doing so, Ransome-Kuti managed to gain a position as one of the delegates who negotiated the decolonization of Nigeria from the British Empire.

In the wake of decolonization, Nigeria rapidly collapsed into a chaotic mix of several warlords attempting to establish themselves as dictators. Ransome-Kuti's children often spoke out against the violence as they attempted to convince the Nigerian People to establish peace and stable politics. To get revenge against Ransome-Kuti's activist sons, Nigerian militias stormed Ransome-Kuti's home and threw her out of a third story window. Ransome-Kuti died from her injuries in 1978 and Nigeria has since gone through waves of stability and instability since her death, but her legacy lives on through Nigerian feminist movements and feminist movements across the continent of Africa.