The Lioness and Her Cub: Rare Photo of Fela Kuti With His Mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, in London, 1962

The Lioness and Her Cub: Rare Photo of Fela Kuti With His Mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, in London, 1962.

A piece of Nigerian history has resurfaced and is warming hearts across the internet. A rare photograph showing the legendary Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti alongside his mother, Chief Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, has been making the rounds on social media, giving many a glimpse into the private lives of two of the country’s most iconic figures.

The photo, believed to have been taken in London in 1962, captures a quiet moment between mother and son. It shows Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, dressed in her signature modest yet dignified style, standing with a young Fela, who at the time was in his early 20s and studying music abroad. The image is a far cry from the rebellious, saxophone-wielding musician the world would later come to know, showing instead a son standing beside his mother.

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For many Nigerians, the photo is a powerful reminder of the remarkable woman who shaped one of Africa’s greatest musical legends.

Chief Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was not just Fela’s mother; she was a force of nature in her own right. Born in 1900, she became a pioneering educator and one of the most fearless women’s rights activists in African history. She is often remembered by the titles given to her by admirers: the “Mother of Africa” and the “Lioness of Lisabi.”

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Her list of achievements reads like a history book of Nigerian activism. She was a leading voice in the fight for women’s right to vote and became the first Nigerian woman to drive a car. In the late 1940s, she organized the Egba Women’s Tax Revolt, leading over 10,000 women in a protest against unfair taxation. That protest was so powerful it forced the local king, the Alake of Egbaland, to temporarily step down from his throne.

She was also a woman of many firsts. Funmilayo was the first female student of the prestigious Abeokuta Grammar School and later became the first Nigerian woman to hold an office in an international women’s organization. Her work earned her the Lenin Peace Prize in 1970, a testament to her global influence.

Beyond her activism, she was the matriarch of a family that would go on to shape Nigeria’s political and cultural landscape. Her sons included not only Fela, the creator of Afrobeat, but also Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti, a renowned human rights activist, and Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, a respected former Minister of Health. She was also an aunt-in-law to Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka.

Sadly, her life ended in tragedy. In 1977, during a military raid on Fela’s compound, the Kalakuta Republic, soldiers threw the 76-year-old woman from a second-story window. She died from her injuries the following year.

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In recent years, her story has been brought back into the spotlight. In 2024, a biopic titled Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was released. Directed by Bolanle Austen-Peters, the film chronicles her early life and activism. It won the award for Best Overall Feature Film at the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) and is currently available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video, introducing her legacy to a new generation.

The resurfacing of this 1962 photograph serves as a touching tribute to the bond between a mother and her son, and a reminder of the incredible legacy of courage, music, and resistance that runs in the Ransome-Kuti family.

The Lioness and Her Cub: Rare Photo of Fela Kuti With His Mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, in London, 1962.