Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, a former women’s rights activist, has been honoured with a Google Doodle on her 119th posthumous birthday.
Born on October 25, 1900, in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Funmilayo was the wife of Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti and mother of late Afro-beat legend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti among others. She was also grandmother to musicians, Seun Kuti and Femi Kuti. Funmilayo was a teacher, political campaigner, and traditional aristocrat.
Born as Francis Abigail Olufunmilayo Thomas, she was the first female student at the Abeokuta Grammar School which she attended from 1914 to 1917. She is also notable as the first woman in Nigeria to drive a car. She was a powerful force in advocating for the right of women to vote in Nigeria.
Her political activism led to her being described as the doyenne of female rights in Nigeria, and also ‘The Mother of Africa’.
Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR), died in Lagos on April 13, 1978.
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