This American Life

876: Bigger Than Me

December 7, 2025

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  • Service members are increasingly seeking confidential legal advice regarding potentially illegal or uncomfortable orders, particularly concerning domestic deployment of the National Guard, according to organizations fielding these calls. 
  • Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti transformed from an elite educator into a revolutionary leader by leveraging literacy education to organize market women against colonial taxation, culminating in the unseating of the Alake of Abeokuta. 
  • The Abeokuta Women's Union employed culturally potent tactics, including 'sitting on a man' and ritualistic nudity, which proved unexpectedly effective against colonial military power, forcing the British to negotiate rather than use force. 

Segments

Military Orders and Service Concerns
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(00:00:28)
  • Key Takeaway: Organizations advising military personnel have seen an uptick in calls regarding orders since the Trump administration began, though most calls were not directly triggered by a specific political video.
  • Summary: Service organizations confirmed an increase in calls from military members worried about orders, including National Guard members concerned about supporting ICE or occupying American cities. Callers expressed discomfort with policing citizens, contrasting it with their expectations of disaster relief work. One service member reportedly went AWOL after receiving orders to support immigrant detention facility establishment.
Fela Kuti’s Political Roots
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(00:11:24)
  • Key Takeaway: Fela Kuti’s radical anti-colonial politics are significantly traced back to the influence of his mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, who was a major political figure in her own right.
  • Summary: Fela Kuti was a globally famous musician whose politics openly challenged Nigeria’s military government and colonialism. Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, initially an elite teacher, began organizing market women through her Ladies’ Club, which evolved into the Abeokuta Women’s Union. This movement was catalyzed by the imposition of unfair taxes by colonial authorities working through the local king, the Alake.
Rise of the Women’s Union
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(00:16:09)
  • Key Takeaway: The Abeokuta Ladies Club transitioned into the Abeokuta Women’s Union after market women, angered by colonial tax policies and harassment, united under Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti’s leadership.
  • Summary: The initial club focused on literacy and domestic skills but quickly became a platform for market women to voice grievances about taxation and interference with their traditional public roles. The shift to a ‘Union’ marked a move away from Westernized activities, with Ransome-Kuti adopting traditional Nigerian dress exclusively. The women organized mass demonstrations, including a march to the Alake’s palace, demanding an end to the unfair tax structure.
Confrontation and Spiritual Power
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(00:38:45)
  • Key Takeaway: The women’s protest movement utilized the traditional African tactic of ‘sitting on a man’ through insulting songs and, critically, disrobed publicly, a spiritual act that paralyzed the colonial response.
  • Summary: The women sang highly graphic and insulting protest songs directed at the Alake, a practice known as ‘sitting on a man,’ which was culturally feared. When the British considered military intervention, some women stripped naked in the plaza, invoking a spiritual power believed to curse any man who looked upon them. This symbolic power made the British officials hesitant to use the army, fearing it would unleash uncontrollable spiritual and social backlash.
Abdication and Legacy
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(00:52:01)
  • Key Takeaway: The sustained, non-violent pressure from the Abeokuta Women’s Union forced the Alake to abdicate his throne to avoid bloodshed, leading to widespread inspiration across the continent.
  • Summary: The Alake was secretly evacuated by the British in 1948, effectively abdicating his position due to the ongoing siege by the women. Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti’s victory inspired hundreds of similar women’s union letters seeking assistance across Africa, highlighting a largely forgotten history of female-led political resistance. Despite her monumental achievement, her grave monument primarily honors her husband, reducing her role to a brief mention.