Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti

The film, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti is the titular biopic of the woman whom we all know as the mother of Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti and the first African woman to drive a car. The film shows us that she was indeed more — she was an activist, a fighter, a leader, and a champion for women’s rights. The film is a Bolanle Austen-Peters production starring Kehinde Balogun, Joke Silva, Iyimide Ayo-Olumoko, Iremide Adeoye, Patrick Diabuah, and Omowunmi Dada, amongst others.

Let’s talk about what I liked…

Key scenes

The opening scene was very strong. It showed us a glimpse of how the story was about to unfold, from Funmilayo’s teens, to adulthood and into old age, before transitioning into a chaotic scene where we saw Nigerian policemen raising Fela Kuti’s home in Kalakuta, claiming to look for Fela, while shooting and raping women, and then proceeding to throw 77 year old Funmilayo from a two-storey building. I loved that while we were watching her fall from the building, they included a montage of her almost being thrown down a well in secondary school — a real full circle moment.

We graduated into the special world in a really simple, yet captivating manner. Funmilayo notices the son of a market woman is missing from her classroom, and then proceeds to visit her in the market to find out the reason for his absence. While she’s at the market conversing with the woman, bandits raid the market, and just the way she defended herself in secondary school, she proceeds to give the leader of the bandits a “dirty slap”, before gallantly walking away like a superhero. This was indeed the beginning of the troubles ahead!

The most powerful scene for me was at the appearance of the ogboni and the oro, who were sent by the Oba to scare the women protesters, as they were supposedly forbidden for women to see. The women came ready with the mothers who laid bare their chest which is forbidden for men to see. Funmilayo then proceeds to remove one of the men’s necklace before the women powerfully storm into the palace. It was like fire for fire; they were prepared for anything especially after being underestimated because of their gender.

I also really enjoyed watching the scenes with Funmilayo and her father, it was really endearing and you could see how much they adored and respected one another. What she learned from her father fueled her passion for justice, for women and for Nigeria. It was no wonder she was able to accept healthy love from an equally strong and intelligent man who believed in her and her passions. I loved how Funmilayo’s husband respected and supported her all through, even offering advice on how to navigate the market women situation. It was no wonder she birthed a son like Fela, who also took on the mantle of fighting for the Nigerian people through his music.

Cast

BAP casted three strong actors as Funmilayo and the three of them somehow blended well together as the same individual.

Iyimide, who played the young Funmilayo did a really great job introducing us to the character, the woman she was about to become. Kehinde Balogun did a phenomenal job playing middle aged Funmilayo. Just watching her perform, had me on the edge of my seat. And ofcourse Joke Silva who played 77 year old Funmilayo also did a great job.

Casting Funmilayo’s grandchildren — Kunle, Yeni and Dotun Kuti — gave the film even more authenticity as it suggests her family was happy with the way she was portrayed in the film.

Lighting

The lighting helped us distinguish between the different periods, knowing which was present day and which was a flashback.

Great dialogue

There was a clear distinction between the timelines, with the way people spoke. Key words and phrases for me included: “Vamoose”, and “You need to learn to soak up the oil and not just the stew”.

The dialogue sometimes helped us prepare for what was to come. For example, when Funmilayo met Ms Falomo who mentioned she was the secretary, she proceeded to say “you can do more”, and I knew there was more coming for her.

The dialogue also helped us to decipher the dynamics in Funmilayo’s home when she said “You won’t leave your sister in the kitchen. In this house, boys cook”.

When Funmilayo visited the palace for the first time and was surrounded by a sea of patriarchy with all the men in the kings court, they didn’t allow her to speak at all and once she left, the king asked in Yoruba how many children she has. One of the chiefs responded saying “only four” and the king said no wonder she’s so slim and has too much time on her hands, also saying her husband has a lot more work to do. I thought the dialogue here was brilliant, showing that they really underestimated this woman and her influence on the market women.

When she visited the palace the second time, she mocked the king for finally speaking because of the trouble with the colonial masters, and then refused to back down until their demands had been met. Really great follow up from that initial visit.

I also really loved how they related the ongoing protest to Margaret Ekpo in Aba and King Jaja of Opobo, showing historical connections in Nigeria at the time.

Other things I really liked were the costumes and the locations. We really need more films about the history of Nigeria, and after this masterpiece, we know we can trust BAP to do the job!

FRK was a solid 9/10 for me. You can now watch the film on Amazon Prime Video.