Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti

Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti founded the Abeokuta Women's Union (AWU), a mass organization that mobilized market women and other women against oppressive colonial policies and traditional rulers. The AWU became a model for women's activism across Nigeria.

Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti led the AWU in a sustained protest against the Alake of Abeokuta, Oba Ladapo Ademola, over his support for colonial taxation and his autocratic rule. The protests forced the Alake to abdicate and flee the city, a major victory for women's political power.

Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti led a Nigerian delegation to the World Congress of Women in Copenhagen, Denmark. She used the international platform to highlight the struggles of Nigerian women under colonialism and to build solidarity with global feminist movements.

Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize by the Soviet Union for her activism and contributions to peace and social justice. The award recognized her international standing as a leader in the anti-colonial and women's rights movements.

Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was attacked by Nigerian soldiers during a military raid on her son Fela Kuti's commune, the Kalakuta Republic. She was thrown from a window, sustaining severe injuries that led to her death months later. The attack drew international condemnation.