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Tag: Moremi

  • Moremi … Easter bouquet on Terra stage

    After a huge sell out of December to Remember show last year, the trio of Princess Ronke Ademiluyi, Chief Olufunsho Amosun and Bolanle Austen-Peters made a big return to the  stage this Easter season with Queen Moremi The Musical.

    Beginning from last Thursday at Terra Arena in Terra Kulture, Lagos, till May 5, Lagos theatre buffs are being treated to special Easter bouquet that celebrates great contributions of Olori Moremi of Ife to the sustenance of Yoruba race and the emerging narratives of feminism and women leadership.

    Queen Moremi the Musical is a revolutionary show as it has evolved from being an entertainment to a critical awareness tool promoting the narrative about feminism and women leadership. It was created by Princess RonkeAdemiluyi and directed by award-winning Bolanle Austen Peters with Mrs Olufunso Amosun as Executive Producer.

    The musical retells the story of Oloori Moremi, who lived in the 12th century and was married to the then king of Ile Ife, a kingdom that is said to have been at war with a neighbouring tribe described as the Forest people led by the Olu-Igbo (Femi Branch). To stem these invasions, the Ifa oracle was consulted by the Ife people and the finding was that the hunters should undertake a journey into the forest to get animals for sacrifice to the gods.  Unfortunately,the efforts of the hunters who journeyed into the forest for 24 days in search of live lion, elephant and leopard proved abortive.

    The Head hunter declared timidly: “We journeyed for 24 days without losing our lives, and none of the animals caught. We came back just as we went.”

    Worried by the persistent invasion of Ife people by the warriors from the forest because the priests have no answers and the sacrifices by all priests  have failed, Moremi (Tosin Adeyemi) offered to give herself up as captive in order to save his people. While taken as a captive by the warriors, due to her beauty, she married Olu-Igbo, the ruler of the warriors as his anointed queen. After familiarising herself with the secrets of her new husband’s army, she escaped to Ile-Ife and revealed this to the Yorubas who were able to subsequently defeat them in battle.

    Earlier in the musical, Moremi challenged the Ooni Obawinrin (Bimbo Manuel), saying that in two years, Ife has lost four virgins as sacrifice yet, evil spirit continued to torment the people. “What if the gods refused to accept these sacrifices? Sad days will continue if nothing changes … Kabiyesi give us hope,” she cried.

    The Kabiyesi was more than devastated by these happenings. With heavy heart, he screamed: “For how long will Ife suffer this plaque? A king who cannot protect his people, what kind of king is that when Ife is desolate? The solution is in us. We only have to dig deep. I will continue to carve the images of those we lost until God answers us.”

    For Moremi, no price is too much to save Ife and Yoruba race. She sought the help of a river goddess Esinmiri in her search for solution. In order to fulfill the pledge she made to Esimirin before embarking on her mission, her son Ela Oluorogbo (Moshood Fattah) was given in sacrifice to the goddess because this is what it asked her for when she returned to its shrine. With this, Moremi lost her marriage and her only child to save Ife.

    In the midst of the agony that befell Moremi, her son Ela told the mother never to grief over Esinmiri’s demand.

    Thematically, the performance’s preoccupation was sacrificial leadership that gives all to the service of the people just to build and have a better society. Effects and costuming were adequate and effective.

    Little wonder Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ooni of Ife, said of Moremi. “Moremi is indeed a goddess of liberty. Beyond the Nigerian shores, the basis of Moremi beliefs and values is the foundation that has been used to build one of the greatest states in the world, which is the United States of America. They have the statue of liberty that actually has a very strong link to all the beliefs of Moremi.”

    Princess RonkeAdemiluyi, the Global Ambassador to Queen Moremi Ajasoro said “the actual story of the amazon Moremi encourages young women to take up leadership roles and identify themselves with greatness.”

    She said “Moremi was a true feminist and was the ultimate girl power. She was a woman in charge of her own destiny. It is a story worth telling indeed to inspire young women.”

    Ademiluyi added: “Queen Moremi The Musical enables us to tell the story of Moremi in a way that appeals to the new generation of millennial.”

    According to her, “the story of MoremiAjasoro signifies great leadership.What makes it more unique is that she was a woman. Great leaders always put the love of their people before themselves and that is exactly what Moremi did. She was indeed a true feminist who saw the opportunity to save her people not minding the fact that she was a woman. Feminism is not about waiting for something to be handed over to you because you are woman it is about getting up and going to earn it similar to what Moremi did. And that is why that courageous act that she did 1700 years ago is still remembered today.

    Also, the story of Moremi shows us that female leadership did not just start with the influence of western feminism, it started with the sacrifice Moremi made 1700 years ago. She took that bold step of allowing herself to be captured by the invaders of Ife who were taking her people as slaves.”

    Established by the Ooni of Ife, The Queen Moremi Ajasoro Initiative, she added, gives  the opportunity to mentor young  women in a way that will enable them to become great leaders of tomorrow as we believe that we have a moral obligation and duty to do that.

  • House of Oduduwa partners Rejuvenee, others for Moremi the Musical

    In a bid to honour the legacy of Queen Moremi Ajasoro of Ile Ife, the House of Oduduwa Foundation, in collaboration with Rejevenee, among others, brought on stage the life and times of Queen Moremi tagged ‘Moremi, the Musical.’

    The show took place at Terra Kulture in Lagos.

    Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman, House of Oduduwa Foundation and Ambassador, Moremi Ajasoro Brand, Princess Aderonke Ademiluyi, said the Moremi concept is a franchise of the House of Oduduwa Foundation and a number of projects were initiated by the foundation in order to immortalize the legend. According to Princess Ademiluyi, the franchise began with a beauty pageant, a book launch and the third part being the musical play.

    “We are dedicated to telling our story and the story of Queen Moremi is about a woman who dedicated her life to ensure that her home town of Ile Ife was safe from marauders,” she said.

    “She was a sacrificial leader and that is what sacrificial leadership is all about.”

    Princess Ademiluyi believes that there is a need to talk about the story of Queen Moremi to enable our children and the younger generations know our history particularly the history of the Ile Ife town.

    “Our children should also know that a regular woman, who lived several years ago, stood up and dared to do things no man could do at that time.”

    Spokesperson for Rejuvenee, major sponsor of the production, Lilian Amah-Aluko,  said seeing the story brought to life on stage made the decision to be part of it a worthwhile investment.  HE said: “At Rejuvenee, we celebrate beauty and wellness and when the House of Oduduwa approached us with sponsorship requests, we saw it as an opportunity to be part of something that celebrates the beauty of womanhood, as well as, send out the messages of courage and hope to our people, which Queen Moremi personifies.”

    Moremi the Musical was put together by Bolanle Austen Peters Productions, together with a cast of veteran actors, that brought to life in musical form, the service and sacrifice of Moremi, a woman who eventually brought peace, progress and prosperity to Ile-Ife, a town that was bedeviled with strife and sorrows. Queen Moremi gave up her only son in order to achieve the peace that was eventually enjoyed by the entire Yoruba land and for her sacrifice; she is today honoured in all of Yoruba land and is a symbol of sacrifice.

    The House of Oduduwa Foundation is an initiative of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi and the show is expected to run from December 21, up until January 2019.

  • House of Oduduwa partners Rejuvenee, others for Moremi

    In a bid to honour the legacy of Queen Moremi Ajasoro of Ile Ife, the House of Oduduwa Foundation, in collaboration with Rejevenee, among others, brought on stage the life and times of Queen Moremi tagged ‘Moremi, the Musical.’

    The show, which took place at Terra Kulture in Lagos, witnessed a massive turn out of lovers of history, arts and music.

    Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman, House of Oduduwa Foundation and Ambassador, Moremi Ajasoro Brand, Princess Aderonke Ademiluyi, said the Moremi concept is a franchise of the House of Oduduwa Foundation and a number of projects were initiated by the foundation in order to immortalize the legend. According to Princess Ademiluyi, the franchise began with a beauty pageant, a book launch and the third part being the musical play.

    “We are dedicated to telling our story and the story of Queen Moremi is about a woman who dedicated her life to ensure that her home town of Ile Ife was safe from marauders,” she said.

    “She was a sacrificial leader and that is what sacrificial leadership is all about.”

    Princess Ademiluyi believes that there is a need to talk about the story of Queen Moremi to enable our children and the younger generations know our history particularly the history of the Ile Ife town.

    “Our children should also know that a regular woman, who lived several years ago, stood up and dared to do things no man could do at that time.”

    Spokesperson for Rejuvenee, major sponsors of the production, Lilian Amah-Aluko said seeing the story brought to life on stage made the decision to be part of it a worthwhile investment. Said Aluko: “At Rejuvenee, we celebrate beauty and wellness and when the House of Oduduwa approached us with sponsorship requests, we saw it as an opportunity to be part of something that celebrates the beauty of womanhood, as well as, send out the messages of courage and hope to our people, which queen Moremi personifies.”

    Moremi the Musical was put together by Bolanle Austen Peters productions, together with a cast of veteran actors, that brought to life in musical form, the service and sacrifice of Moremi, a woman who eventually brought peace, progress and prosperity to Ile-Ife, a town that was bedeviled with strife and sorrows. Queen Moremi gave up her only son in order to achieve the peace that was eventually enjoyed by the entire Yoruba land and for her sacrifice; she is today honoured in all of Yoruba land and is a symbol of sacrifice.

    The House of Oduduwa Foundation is an initiative of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi and the show is expected to run from December 21, up until January 2019.

  • ‘My experience as lead actress in Moremi’

    House of Oduduwa and Rejuvenee, in collaboration with Bolanle Austen-Peters Production, will start the production of Queen Moremi the Musical, on December 2 in Lagos.

    Leading Nollywood artistes starring in the musical include star actress, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, who plays Moremi, Deyemi Okanlawon, Femi Branch who plays Olugbo, Bimbo Manuel as Ooni Obawirin and Rotimi Adelegan playing Oranmiyan.

    The musical drama is another milestone on the heroine and a huge effort invested in the global promotion of the Yoruba cultural heritage by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.

    The stage play is an adaptation from the heroic acts of Queen MoremiAjasoro. She applied wisdom and bravery to defeat the raffia cladded fierce Igbo men who tormented Ife people for so long. It will be showing at the Terrakulture Theatre, Victoria Island, Lagos from December 21 to January 2, 2019.

    Recalling her experiences during the rehearsals, movie star, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, explained that ‘throughout my journey rehearsing the role ‘Queen Moremi’, I experienced a glimpse of the torment she encountered when torn between neglecting her vow or sacrificing her only child’.

    Another screen queen, Lala, who plays the character ‘Esiri’, the river goddess, chose ‘ElaOlurogbo’, Queen Moremi’s only son, as thanksgiving sacrifice for their successful defeat against the Rafia enemies.

    Bamike Olawunmi (Bambam), a fast rising actress in the African movie scene, recognised for her stellar performance in Child of the World, a documentary that lends its voice against societal abuse of the girl-child, makes her debut in theatre.

    Deyemi Okanlawon, playing the role of Obalufen, said being called to be part of Queen Moremi the Musical is amazing.

    “The role I am playing is a strategic one because Obalufen is a strong character and very aggressive. He had a warrior persona. I think it is a wonderful experience because what the film does is that it gives you that special technique that you will not get on stage. On stage drama, you get different vibrant colours”, he added.

    Theatre producer and director, Bolanle Austen-Peters said: “Selecting the cast to feature in Queen Moremi the Musical was quite delicate, fitting each character thoroughly was an ordeal as this isn’t fiction but the life story of a queen warrior.”

    Ambassador to the House of Oduduwa Foundation, Princess AderonkeAdemiluyi, on her part, said, “Queen Moremi is a global representation of the present day queen warrior. Being a queen was never only to be behind the scenes, but also getting in the forefront of solving mystery battles which is pretty remarkable and we are not going to shy away from that.”

    Meanwhile, finalists of the Queen Moremi Beauty Pageant have started camp grooming before the finals.The young ladies, who initially exhibited naivety, have brazed for the tough task ahead. Various roles to equip them with understanding of the cultural values of the land are handled by seasoned cultural experts at the camp currently going on at Ile-Ife. Within the two weeks’ camp experience there will be evictions and final selection of qualified candidates who will be in Ogun State for the finals. They will be hosted by the wife of Ogun State governor, Mrs Olufunso Amosun, who becomes the model of Queen Moremi Ajasoro as pronounced by the Ooni.

  • Ooni to celebrate Moremi in Lagos

    The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, has initiated a musical drama to propagate African women’s values of courage and strength, as demonstrated by Queen Moremi Ajasoro.

    This is in an effort to empower women against oppression.

    The 90-minute drama will be showcased from next month in Lagos, according to Princess Ronke Ademiluyi, the Cultural Ambassador to Queen Moremi.

    “This unique project is going to be 90 minutes of dance, drama and music, telling the story of an African queen from Ile-Ife, Southwest of Nigeria.

    “It will take us back to the memory lane on how Queen Moremi risked her life and made the ultimate sacrifice to end trafficking and enslavement of her people, especially women and children,” Ademiluyi said in Lagos.

    The cultural ambassador spoke yesterday with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on behalf of the Ooni of Ife.

    She said the 13-day stage performance, to begin from December 21, will stir courage and leadership abilities in the African woman.

    “The Ooni of Ife celebrates the courage of Queen Moremi Ajasoro with a maiden 90- minute musical drama from December 21 to January 2 in Lagos,” Ademiluyi said.

    According to her, the House of Oduduwa Foundation of the palace has appointed Bolanle Austin-Peters Productions to come up with the legendary theatre performance.

    “It will propagate and rejuvenate the cherished values, culture and tradition of an African woman as demonstrated by Queen Moremi, who by unusual courage put herself forward in order to save her people,” the princess said.

    She enjoined African women to exhibit courage and other leadership abilities for a progressive society.

    Ademiluyi said proceeds from the musical drama would be used to assist and rehabilitate young women, who fell victims of modern day slavery.

    “His imperial majesty, in line with his rehabilitation programmes, says the programme will key into his ongoing empowerment of victims of modern day slavery and trafficking under the House of Oduduwa Foundation,” she said.

  • Ooni to celebrate Moremi in Lagos to empower women

    In an effort to empower women against oppression, the Ooni of Ife has initiated a musical drama to propagate African woman’s values of courage and strength as demonstrated by Queen Moremi Ajasoro.

    The 90-minute drama will be showcased from December in Lagos, according to Princess Ronke Ademiluyi, the Cultural Ambassador to Queen Moremi.

    “This unique project is going to be 90 minutes of dance, drama and music, telling the story of an African queen from Ile-Ife, South West of Nigeria.

    “It will take us back to the memory lane on how Queen Moremi risked her life and made the ultimate sacrifice to end trafficking and enslavement of her people, especially women and children,” Ademiluyi said in Lagos.The cultural ambassador spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday.

    She spoke on behalf of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.

    According to her, the 13-day stage performance to begin from Dec. 21 will stir courage and leadership abilities in the African woman.

    “The Ooni of Ife celebrates the courage of Queen Moremi Ajasoro with a maiden 90 minutes musical drama from Dec. 21 to Jan. 2, 2019, in Lagos,’’ she said.

    According to her, the House of Oduduwa Foundation of the palace has appointed Bolanle Austin-Peters Productions to come up with the legendary theatre performance.

    “It will propagate and rejuvenate the cherished values, culture and tradition of an African woman as demonstrated by Queen Moremi, who by unusual courage put herself forward in order to save her people,” the princess said.

    She called on African women to exhibit courage  and other leadership abilities for a progressive society.

    Ademiluyi told our reporter that proceeds from the musical drama would be used to assist and rehabilitate young women who fell victims of modern day slavery.

    “His imperial majesty, in line with his rehabilitation programmes, says the programme will key into his ongoing empowerment of victims of modern day slavery and trafficking under the House of Oduduwa Foundation,” she said.

    NAN.

  • Moremi resurrects in Ile-Ife

    Moremi resurrects in Ile-Ife

    As part of its yearly town and gown programmes, the National Troupe of Nigeria in collaboration with The Crown Troupe of Africa, embarked on a four-campus tour of the epic play, Moremi.  The play first took place at Ile-Ife, the historical bas of Moremi before proceeding to other locations.  Edozie Udeze was there

    The story of Moremi is synonymous with the liberation of Ile-Ife.  It is the story of a heroine who volunteered to use herself to save a whole kingdom.  When the invaders used all sorts of tactics to trick Ife people and subject them to endless nightmares and tortures, both the Ooni and his subjects were at a loss on what to do to counter these rampaging forces.  And when the Balogun of the kingdom and his Ife forces refused to obey the Ooni to go in search of the marauders, Moremi, the Iya-Oloja of the kingdom and the women leader whose love for the welfare of the people was never in doubt, took up the offer to discover the secrets of their enemies in order to safe-guard the people.

    This was the story replicated on stage last week when the Crown Troupe of Africa in collaboration with the National Troupe of Nigeria, staged the play at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife, Osun State.  The play simply titled Moremi, written by Ayodele Arigbabu and directed by Segun Adefila was to situate the role of this brave woman in the proper setting of Ife kingdom.  It was to streamline the role of women in the peaceful progress of a state.  The brevity of Moremi when the people almost lost hope of being liberated is also what the society needs now, not just to accord women their proper roles in the ordering of the society, but for those of them who have the political and social wherewithal to always come forward for the good of all.

    In its traditional town and gown programme, both the Crown Troupe and the National Troupe of Nigeria intended the four campus shows to let the students early enough into the essential qualities needed from those who want to lead and lead well.  Moremi proved that to the best of her ability.

    When the descendants of Oduduwa took over Ile-Ife, it was noted that they drove away the original owners of the land who they met on arrival.  Having been driven away from their cradle, these people immediately went into guerilla tactics and warfare, attacking Ife at random.  Most often they would carte away their goods, take their women and young men as captives.  There was serious crisis of confidence in Ife hierarchical arrangement.  The Ooni was incapacitated; his chiefs and generals had suddenly lost their grip and zeal to fight and defend their people.  There was gloom everywhere.

    In the interim, Moremi, widowed already and in exile in Offa, strolled into Ife to see her people.  A former wife of Oranmiyan, she quickly began to re-assert her role and place as a women leader.  She first upstaged the reigning Iya-Oloja who was incapable of providing an audacious leadership.  The Ooni promptly granted her request by reconfirming her the leader of market women.  She took over with renewed zeal and determination to help the economy of Ife to recover again.  At that point the men had lost focus; that needed aura and sheer determination to defend the people was no longer there.

    When the marauding forces of their enemies became too unbearable, the Ooni ordered the Balogun to go into outright war to save the people.  But he declined, saying, “I am too young to die”.  It was at that point that Moremi said – “Oh send me.  I will go.”

    And so she became one of the new prisoners of war captured by the invaders.  But she did not  forget to go with her black power, the magic, for which she was well-known.  There she used her physical and psychological charm to obtain the secrets of their powers from their leader, who was also their Balogun.  That done, she immobilized them all, as she left them in a state of coma and hopelessness.  Soon after, the people recovered.  By then Moremi and her girls had disappeared back to Ife.  Another war then ensued which saw Ife being more courageous now. But in the end, Moremi lost her only son.  Victory was assured, but the gloom in the air was too palpable.  Moremi bemoaned the loss of her only son, but she was more consoled by the fact that Ife was now totally liberated, free from all sorts of incessant attacks and harassments.

    Adefila used all sorts of improvisations in forms of dances, songs, drumming and satires to reinvent the story and pass the message across.  He told the story; he devised methods, styles and artistic aesthetics to embellish the drama and the role of Moremi in a society peopled by cowards and half-baked leaders.  The Pit Theatre of OAU was filled to capacity during the two day showing of the play.  The students turned out to show their enthusiasm and appreciation of not just the way Adefila portrayed the place of women in the society, but equally the way he used the play to reach out to the students on the ingredients of leadership and the outright condemnation of corruption.  This was why they cheered, applauded and heralded this play done to update them on some certain socio-political needs of a nation.

    In an interview, Toyin Bifarin Ogundeji, a lecturer in the department of Dramatic Arts of OAU, and one of the facilitators of the show, said that Adefila’s approach to the total interpretation of the play first dumbfounded the students.  “But when it began to unfold, all of us started to see the real message in what he did.  People know Adefila as someone who is always staging plays whether there is money or not.  So, this play stems from ife too – Moremi is a well-known historical name here and the people find it easier to identify with it.  She was the saviour of Ife at a particular time in their lives and this is what Ife people up till today do not take lightly.”

    In his own response, Adefila said this is one of the best ways to encourage live theatre not only on campuses, but in the entire society.  “A lot of students when they graduate abandon the theatre practice.  But with this kind of show and more, they will be able to know that theatre practice can sustain them when they leave school.  Our visit here has been fruitful.  It has shown us that people still love live theatre a lot.  This show is billed for ife, Ibadan and Ilorin and Kwara State University.  People turned out en-masse to watch the shows, so it is a way to encourage me and the troupe to do more.  The students wondered what I had on stage until the play got underway.  What I do is to use my plays to show and tackle fundamental socio-political and economic tendencies of the nation.  This is what we’ve done with Moremi-keeping the issue of genuine leadership and love for the people open.  Let the people see it and make their own deductions,” Adefila said.

    On his part, Akin Adejuwon of the National Troupe of Nigeria, who provided the Logistics for the tour, explained that the theme of leadership involving Moremi lured him into the collaboration.  “It is a play you cannot resist,” he said.  “This was why we decided to be involved, to pass the message across to as many audiences as possible in the universities.  It is part of our yearly town and gown programmes,” Adejuwon clarified.

  • Moremi controversy in S/West

    Ancient Ife, the first city kingdom founded by the Yoruba people, is a place of great legends and folktales. One of the most popular folktales from Ife is the Moremi story. In Yorubaland in modern times, Moremi has been widely celebrated in songs and drama – usually as a story of great heroism and patriotism. But now, in recent weeks, there has arisen a controversy over the exact significance of Moremi in Yoruba history. The Ooni of Ife has celebrated Moremi as a heroine and patriot with a beautiful statue in Ile-Ife. But the Oba of another Yoruba kingdom, the Olugbo of Ugbo, has responded that Moremi was not a patriot but a traitor – and a public controversy is raging.

    The first thing to say about controversies concerning Yoruba history is that the Yoruba are a very great African people – with one of the highest peaks of urbanism in world history, and with highly sophisticated political, social and intellectual accomplishments. The Yoruba have great stories to tell from their proud history but, unfortunately, because they did not develop writing as part of their civilization, oral traditions of their history can sometimes prove difficult to unravel. It is an honour for us historians to wrestle with these difficulties. And we must thank distinguished historians Toyin Falola and Jide Osuntokun and others for stepping into the present Moremi controversy. My brief intervention here is that of a historian who has spent a whole adult life researching and writing Yoruba history, and who is still strongly involved in the study.

    The setting for the Moremi story is the Ife town (Ile-Ife) in its earliest years. For many centuries before the creation of Ile-Ife, many tiny separate settlements had existed in the area of the Ife forest. (Clumps of such small settlements were many all over Yorubaland). In about the 9th century AD, the small separate settlements in the Ife forest coalesced into a single large town, Ile-Ife, ruled by one king – the first of such in Yorubaland. The path to the formation of this one Ile-Ife was rough, featuring conflicts and wars between the many small settlements of the area, conflicts and wars lasting, according to most traditions, more than 100 years. Even after the inhabitants of the small settlements finally agreed to end the conflicts and settle together in one large town (ile-Ife), there were some people who would not agree. These migrated away in anger into the forests far from Ileì-IfeòÌ, where they settled down and built settlements of their own. The people of Igbo-Igbo, one of such settlements, being still very angry, were determined to destroy Ileì-IfeòÌ. And so the stage was set for the Moremi story.

    Ileì-IfeòÌ town was new, young, and fragile. Suddenly, it found itself in grave danger. From somewhere in the deep forests, some people dressed in strange masks, and looking more like phantoms than humans, came attacking and rampaging in the dead of night, destroying and burning houses, killing people and kidnapping others. Before the Ileì-IfeòÌ people could respond, the phantoms vanished. Sometimes, the attack occurred frequently; at other times it occurred after long breaks. Nobody could tell when it would come. Fear gripped Ile-Ife; many people believed that the attackers were super-human. It sometimes seemed as if the town would break up.

    Among the king’s wives, there was one exceptionally beautiful young woman named Moremi. MoòreÌmi had only one son named Oluìorogbo. MoòreÌmi began to think of the terrible situation. Surely, she thought, there must be something that she could do to help her town. She finally came to a decision.

    One night, MoòreÌmi stole out of the palace and went to the small river EòsinÌmiÌnriÌn in the forest, not far from town. Standing in the darkness, she invoked the spirit of the river for help for Ile-Ife. At last the river spirit answered and agreed to help, but demanded a reward. Moremi pledged to offer her only son, Oluorogbo, as sacrifice to the river spirit as reward.

    And then the river spirit gave Moremi her instructions. On the next coming of the raiders, Moremi should deliberately let herself be kidnapped and taken away. She would go through a lot of experiences, but she should not fear, because she would be under protection. And she would someday come back to Ileì-IfeÌ, and her return would finally lead to the destruction of the enemies and the end of their attacks.

    So, when the attackers came next, Moremi let herself be captured by them. They rushed her and some other captives into the deep forests. After a long march in the forests, they reached their destination – a small town surrounded by thick dark jungles. Among Yoruba people, the practice was that kings and chiefs took as wives young women who were captured in war. So, the king took Moremi as wife.

    And so MoòreÌmi found herself in the very heart of the secrets of the enemies of Ile-Ife. In the many months that followed, as a wife to their ruler, she was able to listen to their conversations and plans and learn the minutest details of their secrets. They were not phantoms at all, but humans wearing masks. And their masks were inflammable.

    One morning, while fetching water alone at the brooks, Moremi felt the urge to bolt away. She said a short prayer and started off into the jungle. She had a fair knowledge of the forest paths. She knew that some men would soon be chasing her, but she was confident that they would not find her – that was what the spirit of the river had promised.

    Finally, she burst into her familiar Ile-Ife. She was taken before the Ooni and his chiefs, and she told them all she had done and suffered and learned. She revealed all the secrets of the supposedly phantom raiders, and made suggestions how their menace could be finally brought to an end.

    The raiders came at the time that MoòreÌmi had said they would. An ambush was waiting for them, mounted by men armed not only with the usual swords, spears, bows and arrows, but also with fiery torches. The phantom raiders were completely vanquished. The next morning, as MoòreÌmi had advised, a large army set out through the forests to go and attack Igbo-Igbo. The small town was taken by surprise and destroyed. Many survivors, including their king’s son, were brought captive to Ile-Ife. Many other survivors fled into the forests – and settled far away as new towns.

    In Ile-Ife, rather than order the execution of the captives, the Ooni allowed them to stay and live honorably as free citizens. The Ooni even conferred the title of a priest on their young captive prince, in which position he was allowed to wear his father’s crown. And Ileì-IfeòÌ lived and prospered from then on, and became the source from which many other YoruÌbaì city kingdoms were founded.

    MoòreÌmi’s personal story and agony was not yet ended. She still had her pledge to the spirit of the EòsiÌnmiÌnriÌn river to fulfill. One day, she took Oluorogbo to the bank of the river and offered him as sacrifice. Most versions say that, at that point, Oluìorogbo was snatched up to heaven and became a spirit. Some other versions say that after Oluìorogbo was sacrificed, the rulers and priests of IfeòÌ deified him. Oluorogbo’s shrine is said to exist still in Ile-Ife.

    Some historians doubt whether the Moremi story is myth or history. But, whichever it is, it is a very important story to the Ife people and to most Yoruba people.

    Moreover, if the Moremi story is indeed history, then it should not surprise us that, while most Yoruba regard Moremi as a heroine and patriot, people in some places in Yorubaland (probably descendants of those who suffered defeat and distress because of her actions) regard her as a traitor. In the history of the world, that commonly happens to important persons. It all depends on how an important person’s life impacted different people in his or her time. For instance, most French people regard Joan of Arc, who once saved France in a battle, as a heroine and patriot; but some regard her as an insane woman possessed of the devil.

    We Yoruba will always have colourful controversies from our great history. We must not quarrel about such. Our duty is to respect our past, and to try responsibly to study and understand difficult points in our traditions. Fortunately, we are always producing competent historians today. In the Moremi matter, the Ooni deserves our nation’s gratitude for the beautiful new statue of Moremi in Ile-Ife.  We Yoruba need to have many statues of our local and nationwide heroes and heroines in our homeland.

  • Moremi controversy: Finding solution to age-old debate

    Moremi controversy: Finding solution to age-old debate

    The controversy generated by the role of Moremi in the history of Yoruba land has continued to evoke an interesting reading.  Not only has it been an issue among custodians of traditional institutions, it has also become an issue of interest among scholars.  But in all of this, it is imperative for the Yoruba nation to set the record straight and avert any distortion that may not mean well for our race.

    A new dimension was recently introduced to the unending controversy with a historian and Prof. of History from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Prof. Isola Olomola lending his voice to the discourse.

    According to him, Ugbo from Ileje, Ondo State not Igbo from the eastern part of Nigeria, invaded Ile-Ife before Moremi sacrificed herself, to liberate her people.

    The historian, during an interview that he granted a national newspaper, said the Igbo were never called Igbo until after the civil war. The eminent scholar stated that there is no research work or book that traced Igbo of eastern Nigerian origin to Ile-Ife.

    He said: “There is no book or research work that traced the history of Igbo to Ile-Ife. Some of their scholars claimed they are part of Jews that did not follow Israelites to the Promised Land.”

    Olomola said the controversy about the status of Moremi is unexpected because a coin must have two sides.

    He said: “Moremi as heroine was not only being celebrated in Ife, but also in Ekiti because of her role in liberating the people of Ife from the Ugbo that came to raid them at night. She submitted herself to be captured by Ugbo warriors that later married her because of her beauty. But she later returned to Ife and revealed the secret of the Ugbo. So, one should not expect Ugbo people to celebrate Moremi.”

    Aside from the scholars, Dr. Olapade Agoro the traditional ruler in the Owa Tapa of Itapa-Ijesha land expressed concern about the fate of Yoruba history.

    He said:  ”I am honestly disappointed at the extent the Yoruba history has been twisted and bastardised. This is not good for our youths, as well as our people. I am for the truth and I will say the truth anytime any day. I have no personal relationship with the Ooni of Ife; neither do I have same relationship with Olugbo of Ugbo.

    Ugbo nla (the great forest), during the ancient times, was a very great expanse of land. And they were known as people from the Water areas of Yoruba land.

    For the sake of our children, I will endeavour in this matter, to put the history in its true perspective.

    “First, what most people misinterpret as Igbo is known as ‘Ugbo nla–the great forest in Yoruba land. The then Olugbo happens to be a son from Ile-Ife that went to establish a kingdom somewhere else.

    “Unfortunately, most people have forgotten this so soon.  The Ugbo nla people did not just invade Ile-Ife during those raids in question. They were trying then to establish a right over the people of Ile-Ife.

    “Moremi Ajasoro was a water goddess, who was bestowed to the then Olugbo of Ugbo as a wife. It was therefore, not a surprise that the then Olugbo felt and believed that Moremi had a right to them. Hence, the Ugbo nla people invaded the place then known as “Ile-Ifa” that was the name before they changed it to present day Ile-Ife.  The Ugbo nla people were angry and believed very strongly that Moremi deserted them to come and stay in Ile-Ife.

    “So, they invaded Ile-Ife with the masquerades, which they covered or designed with the materials they harvested in their areas, which were mainly made up of “raffia fronds”. Most people do not know much about these materials, only people from present day Epe and Ugbo nla knew about it. We call it Eko raffia. Wizards grow on these plants along the river banks in the riverside areas. These plants are still in these areas up till now.

    “The Ugbo nla people, even when they relocated to their present areas, used to have a camp near the present day Ile-Ife. That was why it was very easy for them to invade Ile-Ife at will. Not only Ugbo people, almost all the Yoruba people of old had their locations around present day Ile-Ife, which belongs to us all.”

    He added: “Now, to the main issue, because Moremi, who was so pretty a wife abandoned her husband and came to Ile-Ife  to stay, and because the Ugbo nla people wanted her back at all costs, they resorted to insistent raids of Ile-Ife.

    “My take in all this, is that Moremi was a wife to the then king of Ugbo nla. If her statue is to be erected in Ile-Ife for whatever reasons, the Ooni of Ife needed to have approached or obtained formal permission from her husband and the people of Ugbo nla.

    “You see, so many things are today done wrongly in the name of modernisation of the traditional institutions. Nowadays, you see an Oba wearing his crown all over the places; this is not done. All manner of staffs are being carried all over the places in the name of tradition. You see two highly placed Obas embracing themselves in public. This is not our customs and traditions they are practising.”

    On its part, the Ugbo Council of Elders demanded unreserved apology from Ooni for allegedly distorting history, by referring to them as Igbo. They even advised him to clarify historical facts from the elders of Ife.

    Their statement reads in part: “We the Olugbo-in-Council find such unguarded statements and historical fallacy disturbing, particularly when such emanated from a monarch who is expected to be a custodian of the history, customs and traditions of Yoruba land. We hereby state categorically that we are Ugbo, the original settlers and owners of Ile-Ife. Our forefathers descended from heaven that is why we are called Ugbo Atorunwo. We are not Igbo who are from the South-eastern part of Nigeria, and who have their own clearly researched and defined ancestry.

    “To set the records straight, Moremi, to us, remains a traitor and a betrayer. She was a slave captured by the Ugbo warriors during one of their many raids to Ile-Ife. She later became the wife of Osangangan Obamakin, the son of Oranfe, who was the paramount ruler over 13 aboriginal communities of ancient Ugbomokun, which later came to be called Ile-Ife.

    The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, recently blasted oil magnate and Oba of Ugbo Kingdom in Ondo State, Oba Federick Akinruntan, for referring to the Yoruba ancestral queen, Queen Moremi as a traitor not worthy to be celebrated.

    “While we remain very proud of the great queen Moremi Ajasoro, a brave woman who sacrificed her only son Oluorogbo for the victory of her people over the faceless terrorists who used to incessantly raid Ife markets, we will not dignify this rascality of royalty with an expected response as we are not ready for any useless supremacy battle incapable of taking Yoruba to a greater height.

    Kabiyesi  Ooni is not interested in joining issues with Oba Akinruntan or anyone on any matter that can jeopardise his peace and unity project which is already making impact in so many sectors such as youth development, women empowerment, cultural tourism, agric revolution, unification of our elders and traditional rulers, to mention but a few.

    From the foregoing, it is evident that there may not be an end to the controversy if an urgent step is not taken to nib it in the bud.

    To that effect, I align with the view of Prof. Asiwaju  who cautioned  Yoruba royal fathers to be sensitive to the vulnerability of historical sources on which their titles and positions are based and the need, therefore, for them to be more cautious in their public pronouncements.

    He said: “In this important regard, I would urge that revered Yoruba Obas be humble enough to read and learn more about their constituents’ history, beyond what is traditionally transmitted in the local courts and palaces.”

    The solution lay in convening a forum where scholars and custodians of Yoruba culture will set the record straight with nobody as the winner or vanquished.

     

  • Moremi: Traitor or heroine?

    Moremi: Traitor or heroine?

    After the rivalry between the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeoye, I11 and the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, which lasted for three decades, has been doused, the Olugbo of Ugbo, Oba Frederick Akinruntan, has attempted to open another rivalry with the new Ooni, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, over the goddess Moremi. BISI OLADELE examines the facts and claims over Moremi in both towns as well as the tendency of the crisis to snowball into another controversy

    In his enthronement as the 51st Ooni of Ife on December 7, last year, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi made it clear that he was not interested in supremacy battle with any other monarch in Yoruba land and Nigeria as a whole. Rather, he pledged to focus on how traditional rulers in Yoruba land would come together for the progress of the race.

    Two months after his coronation, Oba Ogunwusi launched his unity agenda by visiting first-class monarchs across Yoruba land. He took the world by the storm when he visited the Alaafin in his town. Thereafter, he visited other leading traditional rulers in Osun, Ondo and Ogun states to preach unity and oneness. The project earned him immeasurable goodwill and popularity within and outside Nigeria.

    But towards the twilight of November, Oba Akinruntan attacked Ogunwusi for stepping up celebration of Moremi, a heroine in Ife history.

    As Oba Ogunwusi relished a beauty pageant he organised to further immortalise Moremi and the tallest statue he built for her in Ile-Ife, Oba Akinruntan lampooned him for celebrating a woman Ugbo people regarded as a traitor.

    In a statement by the Olugbo-in-Council, the Ondo State community wondered why Ife people should celebrate Moremi whom they described as a traitor.

    In its own historical account, Moremi remains a traitor. The council in the statement said: “She was a slave captured by Ugbo warriors during one of their many raids on Ile-Ife. She later became the wife of Osangangan Obamakin, the son of Oranfe, who was the paramount ruler of over 13 aboriginal communities of ancient Ugbomokun, which later came to be called Ile-Ife.”

    The statement further said: “Oduduwa came to Ugbomokun as a stranger and was welcomed in Ilero, the aboriginal palace of Osangangan Obamakin, which is still in existence in present-day Iremo, in Ile-Ife.

    “During the dynastic struggles, Osangangan Obamakin was directed by the oracles (Ifa and Osanyin) to leave Ile-Ife. Moremi betrayed her husband’s trust when she exposed the secret of the Ugbo warriors’ gallantry.

    “Popular history states that Oduduwa, the progenitor of the Ooni,  migrated from the East/Mecca. In another account by the Oba of Benin, recently, Oduduwa came from Benin. We ask that the Ooni should confirm his ancestral roots. It is also important to note that, in the ancient custom of Yoruba, an incumbent king must have no living father. Also, no man from a female lineage of a ruling house is qualified to sit on the throne.”

    But Oba Ogunwusi described Olugbo’s statement as royal rascality. He pointed out that he was not interested in supremacy battle, even as he faulted his claims on the origin and history of Moremi.

    Moremi, in Ife history, was a female Ife daughter who used her prowess as a woman to discover the secret of Ugbo warriors that raided the town at will. The secret she brought to Ife people helped them defeat the warriors the next time they came raiding.  With the act, Moremi ended up a heroine in the ancient town. A special festival, Edi, is celebrated to remember her every year.

    Ogunwusi, in a statement  by the Director of Media and Publicity to the Ooni’s Palace, Mr. Moses Olafare, said the outburst of the Olugbo can only be viewed by well-meaning people as a mere royal rascality and a pitiable act of absurdity that doesn’t deserve serious attention by serious-minded people.

    The statement read: “How on earth should a Yoruba king refer to Moremi as a traitor just because she used her power of a woman to liberate her people from incessant invasions by some faceless terrorists?

    “While we remain very proud of the great Queen Moremi Ajasoro, a brave woman who sacrificed her only son Oluorogbo for the victory of her people over the faceless terrorists who incessantly raided Ife markets. We will not dignify this rascality of royalty with an expected response as we are not ready for any useless supremacy battle incapable of taking Yoruba to a greater heights.

    “Most paramount on the mind of His Imperial Majesty, Ooni Adeyeye Ogunwusi Ojaja II with the unflinching support of Baba Alaafin, Baba Awujale, Baba Alake, Baba Orangun, Baba Deji, Babe Ewi, Baba Osemawe, Baba Olubadan, Oba of Lagos and other relevant peace-loving monarchs in Yoruba land and in other parts of the country is, and remains the much-needed progress of Yoruba nation which can only be achieved by peace and unity.

    “This has necessitated his unimaginable barrier-breaking unity visits he has been taking around not only in Yoruba land but also across Nigeria and internationally. His activities in the last one year on the throne are enough to attest to his personality as a king of peace.

    “It is a pity that at this time when everybody is lucidly tired of retrogressive royal discord generally agreed to have colossally hindered our pace of progress as a people of common heritage politically and socio-economically, the Olugbo, who claims to be the chairman of Yoruba Obas’ Committee on Peace and Reconciliation, has suddenly, without a deep knowledge of Yoruba history, woken up to see royal controversy as the only tool for cheap publicity.

    “Kabiyesi Ooni is not interested in joining issues with Oba Akinruntan or anyone on any matter that can jeopardise his peace and unity project which is already making impact in so many sectors such as youth development, women empowerment, cultural tourism, agric revolution and unification of our elders and traditional rulers, to mention but a few.

    “We, therefore, urge every lover of peace and unity in Africa to ignore any reckless statement capable of further dividing us. They should rather see the author of such statement as a person who poses harmful danger to our peaceful co-existence.

    “Yoruba must remain united, Nigeria must remain united, Africa must remain united and the entire Black worldwide must remain united because we are one before the Almighty God.”

    Common to the history perspectives from the two communities was that Moremi was married to a man of Ugbo origin. It was also common that she discovered the secret of Ugbo warriors which she revealed to Ife community.

    In Ife history, the Ugbo warriors were regarded as spirits because of their war garment which covered their entire bodies. But Moremi was said to have revealed to Ife people that the garment only concealed their human outlook. It was discovered that the garment was made from product of palm leaves. The next time they came to raid, Ife warriors were said to have touched them to reveal their human identity. The other batches retreated and never returned to raid Ile-Ife.

    To remember the historic victory, the Edi Festival features touching of dummy soldiers who dressed in the typical Ugbo war garment.

    Besides, part of Ife history states that Moremi sacrificed his son, Oluorogbo to a river goddess, Esinmirin, to enable her to succeed in her voyage of going to discover the powers of Ugbo warriors.

     

    The statue

     

    In fulfilment of his promise to leverage on the available abundant resources to turn the fortune of Ile-Ife around, Oba Ogunwusi saw further immortalisation of Moremi as a major project. To achieve this, he constructed a 42-feet statue for Moremi, the tallest in Nigeria.

    The statue with 30 risers, was constructed right on the spot Moremi lived several centuries ago.

    It was learnt that the statue was locally constructed by Nigerian engineers using local Nigerian materials.

    At 161 feet, African Renaissance Monument in Dakar, Senegal, is the tallest statue in Africa followed by Great Sphinx of Giza in Egypt which stands at 66 feet.

    Moremi Ajasoro statue of Liberty at 42 feet is now the 3rd tallest in Africa.

    While unveiling the statue as part of the activities marking this year’s Edi Festival, Ogunwusi, who was represented by his queen, Olori Wuraola Ogunwus (Yeyelua), extolled the virtues of the great African heroine. The monarch praised God for making one of his greatest dreams a reality within his one year on the throne of his forefathers.

    He described the heroine (Moremi) as the real mother of liberty in the world whose legacy must not be left in the oblivion.

    “God Almighty has given me the grace of achieving one of my greatest ambitions within my first year on this sacred throne of Oduduwa.

    “Moremi Ajasoro, an Ife queen who, in her lifetime, exhibited an unrivaled heroism of world’s liberty dedicated her life to the liberation of mankind by sacrificing her only child to free the people of Oodua land from the invasion of some faceless terrorists thousands of years ago.

    “We are already constructing the tallest statue in Nigeria to be known as Moremi Liberty Statue. This 42ft-statue, which will be the third tallest in Africa, is being erected right where Moremi lived before she became a deity thousands of years ago, as a goddess of liberty.

    “It is going to be one of the greatest achievements in Nigerian tourism and will be unveiled in two weeks’ time during this year’s Edi/Moremi Festival. It will be a tip of the iceberg, as many more tourist advancements are coming in the subsequent years,” Ooni Ogunwusi said.

    Olori  Ogunwusi urged women and girls to emulate Moremi’s  act of bravery, saying women needed to make themselves available for taxing roles in the modern society.

    She stated that Moremi’s personality remained unique in the world and would continue to remain an important point of reference.

    Her words: ”Moremi is an important figure and a great warrior worthy of emulation. With the pageant, we are trying to make the world know about a very important person.

    “Times are changing and women are beginning to realise that we need to grow stronger. We need to show strong character in changing the society. I urge them to emulate the great heroine and be saviours to others.”

    As the world watched with interest how another generational supremacy battle brewed, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Nobel Laurette, Prof. Wole Soyinka, urged Oba Ogunwusi to ignore Olugbo’s outburst, stressing that he should concentrate on his unity project. They gave the advice at the first coronation anniversary of the Ooni in Ile-Ife last week.

    Their intervention, which was a support for Ooni’s position, had a far-reaching impact in dousing the tension. It made many heave a sigh of relief that a new supremacy battle has been defeated.

    Several questions may be asked; who is right, Ooni or Olugbo about Moremi’s status?  Again, judging from the said act of bravery by Moremi through which she saved her people, was she a traitor or a heroine? This is left for discerning minds to decipher.