Ransome-Kuti family

The Ransome-Kuti family is a Nigerian Yoruba political family noted for its simultaneous contributions to art, religion, education and medicine. The first member to bear the name Ransome, the Reverend Josiah Jesse "J.J." Ransome-Kuti, adopted it in honour of the Anglican missionary that had first converted his family to Christianity. He followed his father Likoye Kuti - an Egba griot - into the musical vocation, and wrote a series of popular hymns in the Yoruba language while serving as an Anglican cleric.

Ransome-Kuti
political family
Ramsome-Kuti family c.1940
Parent house	Oodua
Current region	Yorubaland
Place of origin	Orile Igbein, Egba Forest
Founded	1830
Founder	Likoye Kuti
Titles	List Minister of Health Leader of a Party Chief (of Egbaland and of the Western House of Chiefs) Minister of the Church of England Professor
Connected families	Jibolu-Taiwo family Soyinka family
Distinctions	Nobel Prize for Literature Lenin Peace Prize Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic Member of the Order of the Niger

The descendants of J.J.'s son, the Reverend Israel Oludotun Ransome-Kuti, and Chief Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti include a Health minister (who had also served as a university professor), a political activist (who would himself later be adopted as an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience), and six further musicians (including one that founded and led a political party and two Grammy Award nominees).

The Ransome-Kutis have been known to form marital unions with other families of the Yoruba elite: The branch descended from Chief Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti is a sept of the aristocratic Jibolu-Taiwo family of Egbaland by virtue of its descent from her, while the one descended from the Reverend Samuel Ayodele Soyinka, the husband of Grace Eniola Ransome-Kuti, is related to the royal family of Isara-Remo through him.