A new Bolanle Austen-Peters Production’s biopic about the mother of the Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti leans heavily on her activism years, even as it offers glimpses of her matrimonial life. Okechukwu Uwaezuoke writes
First, it’s the opening scene that grabs the viewer’s attention. That is the scene in which a horde of soldiers—otherwise reputable sources append the adjective “unknown” to them—storm Fela’s home, which self-proclaims as the Kalakuta Republic. The incident eventually climaxes with Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, then 77, being hurled from a two-story building. Then, as the narrative unfolds, flashbacks to her past come thick and fast.
Really, it was about time someone did a biopic of the illustrious mother of the late Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti! This is one reason why this long-awaited movie that ended its theatrical run on Friday, September 15, and brought this influential figure of Nigeria’s pre-independence history, who passed away 45 years ago, back into the public’s consciousness, should be praised for its historicity and relevance.
After its initial screening at the Silverbird Galleria in Victoria Island, Lagos, the feature film, which the creatively-effervescent Bolanle Austen-Peters directed and co-produced with Joseph Umoibom, was shown to a select audience on Tuesday, September 12, at the 400-seater Terra Kulture Arena in another part of the same upscale neighbourhood. Seemingly heavy on Ransome-Kuti’s activism years and appropriately light on her marital life, it portrays her as a woman of iron will, cast in the mould of the legendary Yoruba queen and folk heroine Mọremí Àjàṣorò, or a modern-day equivalent of the French patron saint, Joan of Arc.
Narrated by a now-hospitalised Mrs. Ransome-Kuti (played by Joke Silva), the inspiring tale unfolds in a sequence of flashbacks sparked by interview sessions with a young French woman journalist—a Reuters news reporter—identified as Isabelle. The protagonist’s ability to sit through her confessional and expository hospital ward narrative speaks a lot about her unshakable spirit, albeit unintentionally. She tells her interlocutor that she was previously known as Frances Thomas but decided to only use her Yoruba name, Olufunmilayo, going forward as a protest against colonialism.
The viewer easily attributes her defiance to both the traditional and colonial authorities, which culminates in the mobilisation of the women into the pressure group Abeokuta Ladies Club, which eventually morphed into Abeokuta Women Union, in order to make them more relevant to the cause of the market women and to the ever-present rebellious streak in her, which was already evident in her younger years (played at different times by Iyimide Ayo-Olumoko and Kehinde Bankole). The fact that she was headstrong and inclined towards non-conformism was already evident during her pioneering days as the first female student at Abeokuta Grammar School, her meeting with young Israel Ransome-Kuti (Iremide Fatasticks Adeoye), and her eventual marriage to him.
Of the many scenes of Ransome-Kuti’s clash with the authorities, one in particular elicits chuckles from the viewer: her repeated reference to the District Officer (DO) as Mr. Dundee—an obvious double entendre in the local vernacular, which suggests an unflattering allusion to his intelligence—during her encounter with him in his office over the tax imposed on market women.
If, despite the predictability of the protagonist’s character, the biopic has a few dull moments, it’s thanks to the first-rate performances of its actors. For the leading roles of Kehinde Bankole and Joke Silva, others like Jide Kosoko, Jide Kosoko, Ibrahim Suleiman, Dele Odule, Adebayo Salami, Keppy Ekpeyong, Adunni Ade, Omowunmi Dada, and Patrick Diabuah were a delight to watch. No less delightful was the thoughtful inclusion in the cast list of some members of the Kuti clan, like Dotun Ransome-Kuti taking on the role of his father, Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, and Kunle Ransome-Kuti portraying his own father, Fela Kuti. Yeni Kuti also makes an appearance as her aunt, Dolupo Ransome-Kuti, even when the role of Bekolari Ransome-Kuti is conceded to Shawn Faqua.
No doubt, this cinematic tour de force of Bolanle Austen-Peters Production, better known in the industry by its acronym BAP, deserves its slot in the race for an Oscar. Having met the Oscars Award’s guidelines, which require submitted films to screen commercially for at least seven days, it has been submitted to the Nigerian Official Selection Committee for the Oscars Academy for consideration despite its brief theatrical run.
Besides, the biopic, which tells the viewers the essentials about the life and times of Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, a woman who defied the odds and challenged the status quo in her quest for freedom, equality, and dignity, is a logical follow-up to the production house’s other films, such as The Bling Lagosians, Collision Course, and Man of God. Mrs. Austen-Peters, in her brief remarks about the film’s submission for Oscar’s consideration, stated that the whole production crew poured their hearts and souls into this project, and that the submission was “a testament to their unwavering dedication.”
Despite the fact that the biopic only seems to skirt around Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti’s life as a wife and mother, it does highlight her husband Israel (later played by Ibrahim Suleiman) as her pillar of strength and support during her persistent fight against injustice.
