Google celebrates Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti with doodle

The 119th birthday of Late Chief Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, MON, the mother of Fela Anikulapo, women’s right activist, political campaigner, teacher and traditional aristocrat, was today celebrated by Google with a doodle.

The doodle was illustrated by Nigerian-Italian guest artist, Diana Ejaita. It portrayed a strong leader who pioneered one of the most formidable social movements of the twentieth century.

According to Google Diana Ejaita weaved together Ransome-Kuti’s likeness with women whose lives she changed. The Berlin-based artist’s style of combining dramatic blacks and soft colors to show “the strength of femininity” aligned with Ransome-Kuti’s powerful story.

Ejaita’s broader work celebrates the black female body by showing it through the lens of universal concept, such as motherhood and family.

Lastly, Ejaita’s ability to forge connections across various cultures in her work, pay homage to her own Nigerian lineage through textures and symbols, and conduct artistic workshops in West Africa speaks to the globalization of the world and artwork.