FRK In London: Nigerian Narrative Making Waves Abroad

by Lanre Digital | Jul 8, 2025 | BAP Productions, Movies, Story, Theatre | 0 comments

On March 7, 2025, the FRK Screening King’s College London event brought together film lovers and scholars during Africa Week.

The atmosphere was electrifying. Faces stayed glued to the screen portraying different reactions: awe, inspiration, connection, not limited to these.

Wide shot of a full Lecture Theatre 1 at King’s College London, audience members seated and looking toward the screen during the FRK film screening.

This is what you get when the story of a prominent Nigerian feminist and activist comes to life on the screen. The FRK screening King’s College London hall was filled to capacity, with audience reactions reflecting deep engagement.

It wasn’t just about watching a film. The event was part of King’s College Africa Week, an annual celebration of research, education, and outreach activities on Africa. The event echoed the Africa Week theme:

“African Art: Bridging Distances with Creative Disruption.”

A projection screen in a dark lecture theatre displaying ‘Film Screening: Funmilayo Ransome‑Kuti in conversation with Bolanle Austen‑Peters.

The screening was preceded by a well-delivered keynote from Austen-Peters herself, who didn’t mince words when she said,

“The perception and the thinking is always that the wealth of the nation is in oil… but it’s such a misnomer. The wealth of the nation is in the talent of its people.”

Bolanle Austen‑Peters

Her keynote explored the place of Creative Economies and the Arts, particularly film and theatre, in spotlighting the ways African art is able to disrupt distances on a national, continental and global stage.

Imagine listening to a Force in the world of storytelling, arts, and culture right before enjoying a biopic that stirs something inside you. That is a creative disruption in action. And nothing disrupts like a story well told.

The film itself is a tribute to Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, mother of Fela – the king of Afrobeat. Still, also a fearless activist who started a revolution against colonialism and patriarchy in Nigeria, fought for women’s rights, and reshaped Nigeria’s sociopolitical landscape.

Funmilayo Ransome‑Kuti being thrown from the Kalakuta Republic balcony during the 1977 military raid, mid‑air.

Pictured: Funmilayo Ransome‑Kuti centered among a posed group of the 1946 Abeokuta Women’s Union members, all wearing traditional Yoruba dress.

The international audience connected deeply with this film, proving once again that African stories don’t just belong on local screens. They belong everywhere.

Close‑up of an audience member with wide eyes and parted lips, absorbed by the film’s opening scene.

A group of audience members beaming with smiles, sharing joy and camaraderie during the screening.

A student smiling and raising both hands in the air, clearly engaged and joyful during the film screening.

This wasn’t just a film screening. It is a loud reminder. A loud reminder that African narratives wield so much power to shake the world when told with authenticity by Africans themselves.