Fela Kuti: Fear No Man 4: Vengeance of the Vagina Head
Oct 22, 2025
Cheryl Johnson Odom, a historian who unearthed vital materials on Fela Kuti's mother, and Judith Byfield, an expert archivist of the Kuti family legacy, delve into Fela's roots of activism. They reveal how Fumilayo Ransome-Kuti's ladies' club morphed into a powerful political movement, addressing taxation injustices. The discussion highlights compelling protests, including the symbolic 'sitting on a man' and the impact of the women's union on political landscapes, showing how Fela's revolutionary spirit was deeply influenced by his mother's legacy.
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Discovery Of The Kuti Archives
- Cheryl Johnson Odom traveled to Abeokuta in 1975 and convinced Fumilayo Ransom Kuti to archive decades of papers.
- Those documents later revealed Fumilayo's activism and enabled historians to reconstruct the women's revolt.
Family Roots Shaped Fela's Vision
- Abeokuta's Kuti family blended Christian missionary education with Yoruba culture across generations.
- That hybrid background seeded Fela's later musical and political worldview.
From Literacy Lessons To Political Classroom
- Fumilayo transformed a ladies' club teaching reading into a hub for market women to share grievances.
- Young Fela sat with market women and learned politics by eavesdropping on their tax complaints.