Great Dynasties: The Ransome-Kutis

Ian Sansom on a clan described as the Kennedys of NigeriaIn 1925, the Reverend Canon Josiah J Ransome-Kuti, a Nigerian Anglican priest and composer of hymns, recorded a series of 78s, sung in Yoruba, for the pioneering Zonophone record label in London. The Reverend had adopted the name Ransome from the missionary who had converted him. Fifty years later, Ransome-Kuti's grandson, also a musician, abandoned the slave name, calling himself instead Anikulapo, meaning "He who carries death in his pou...

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