The Nation Newspaper

Tag: QUEEN Moremi Ajasoro

  • 30 contestants selected for Queen Moremi Beauty Pageant

    Thirty contestants have been selected out of 400 ladies, who applied to contest in the 2018 edition of the Queen Moremi Ajasoro Beauty Pageant, the organisers announced on Tuesday.

    Cultural Ambassador to the project, Princess Ronke Ademiluyi, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the contestants were selected after a two-day screening, held at Ile Ife in Osun.

    She said that the contestants, who must be Yoruba undergraduates, within the ages of 18 to 25 years, were selected by a team of panelists, including culture icons, Woli Arole and Odunlade Adekola.

    Ademiluyi said that the contest, initiated by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Ogunwusi Adeyeye, was aimed at promoting Yoruba culture among young women.

    “The contest showcases our culture, which is really important to His Imperial Majesty, the Ooni of Ife, it encourages young ladies to discover and learn about their culture.

    “The initiative about the queen is to project leadership roles in the future of our young girls as Queen Moremi Ajasoro did during her life time.

    Read Also: Ooni to celebrate Moremi in Lagos

    “The contest showcases the strength of a woman, dating back to thousands of years, in encouraging young ladies to be selfless and committed to nation building.”

    The culture entrepreneur said that the contest, which started in 2016, commenced its third edition this year with a 10-day camping at Ile Ife.

    “The contest this year commenced in Ile Ife and the grand finale will be held in Abeokuta in Ogun State.

    “The rationale for Abeokuta is to rotate hosting of the cultural event in different Yoruba states every year. In 2016, it was held in Ife. In 2017, it was held in Lagos and the 2018 edition will be held in Abeokuta.”

    According to Ademiluyi, the choice of Ogun is because of the interest of the wife of the Governor of Ogun, Mrs c, who supports the Ooni of Ife, in promoting Yoruba culture.

    Ademiluyi said that the winner of the contest would go home with a brand new car to be provided by the Ife monarch.

    “There is also a cash prize from the QMA Impact Investment Fund. In addition, the winner automatically becomes a young culture ambassador to the Ooni and the House of Oduduwa.

    “She will also enjoy the privilege of becoming a part of the royal entourage for foreign trips,” the project ambassador stated.

    Ademiluyi recalled that the winner of the maiden edition, Miss Blessing Animashaun, was in the royal entourage to UK last year, while the winner in 2017, joined the royal team to Brazil and the U.S. earlier this year.

    Out-going Queen, Miss Shola Shittu, who graduated with a first class degree in automobile engineering, won various awards during her reign.

    Shittu championed the fight against trafficking of young ladies and made tours to various schools, offering scholarships to indigent students in Lagos communities.

    NAN

  • Bimbo Manuel, Femi Branch, Kehinde Bankole, others star in ‘Moremi the Musical’

    HOUSE of Oduduwa is partnering Bolanle Austen Peters to present the classic story of the Yoruba heroine, Queen Moremi Ajasoro.

    Tagged ‘Moremi the Musical’, the stage play 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 Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi.

    The musical drama is an adaptation of the feat of one woman, who worked to save her people from oppression and marauding invaders. It combines dance, enchantment, magic, sacrificial and war gimmicks.

    Queen Moremi Ajasoro stood out as someone who applied wit, con, courage and wisdom to achieve her feat.

    Billed to start showing at Terrakulture Arena, Victoria Island from December 21 to January 2, 2019, the project was unveiled on Tuesday in Lagos by the production team comprising Bolanle Austen-Peters Production (BAP); members of House of Oduduwa Foundation, led by the Chief Executive Officer, Prince Jide Fadairo, the palace of Ooni of Ife, led by Oba Adebisi Layole, the Alaraodaye of Ara-Ife, and Oba Fayemi Johnson Olumayowa, the Elerefe of Erefe-Ife, and the initiator of the project, Princess Ronke Ademiluyi – Queen Moremi Ajasoro Global cultural Ambassador.

    The epic drama features Nollywood acts such as Bimbo Manuel, Bambam of Big Brother Nigeria, Femi Branch, Deyemi Okanlawon and Kehinde Bankole among others.

    Fadairo disclosed that producing the musical drama is one of the core projects of the House of Oduduwa and the objective is the preservation of the Yoruba heritage.

    According to Bolanle Austen-Peters, “It is essential for us to know our roots; and celebrate our history and heritage. It is therefore our desire to develop the Queen Moremi legacy into a musical drama that will preserve and promote history in the face of modernity.”

    She lamented that the removal of history from the school curriculum in the country had adversely affected children’s knowledge of culture.

  • Diversification will boost economy – Lai Mohammed

    Diversification will boost economy – Lai Mohammed

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji  Lai Mohammed, has said the nation has gradually commenced the diversification of its economy from oil to creative industry to boost internally generated revenue ( IGR ) and meet international standard.

    Mohammed, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs Grace Gekpe, stated this during the grand finale of Queen Moremi Ajasoro (QMA) beauty pageant at Oriental Hotel in Lagos.

    The event ended in the early hours of Monday.

    The minister said the government was focusing its attention on developing the creative sector as an alternative means of boosting the nation’s economy.

    “The ministry has discovered that the creative industry is an alternative to oil and that is why we are doing a lot to support the sector,” he said

    According to him, the creative industry is an area that opens up employment opportunities for talented youths, thereby, reducing unemployment and possible youthful crimes.

    Mohammed commended Princess Ronke Ademiluyi, the Heritage Ambassador to QMA, for her efforts in promoting culture, and advised other groups to encourage the youths to develop more interest in promoting their cultures.

    “Promoters of our culture and tradition such as Princess Ademiluyi should be encouraged because she is complementing the efforts of the government to ensure that our culture does not go into extinction.

    “Such a cultural pageant as the QMA will also empower young girls not only to learn their traditional language and history, but also make them to be creative and productive,” he said.

    The minister also encouraged more groups in the entertainment industry to key into programmes that would promote Made-in-Nigerian fabrics, foods, dances and local languages which would make the country the world’s tourist attraction.

    The 2017 QMA pageant produced 22 year-old, Oluwatosin Shola-Shittu, an indigene of Ikere Ekiti , Ekiti State as the new queen.

    Shola-Shittu emerged the winner out of no fewer than 500 young girls who registered for the second edition of QMA cultural beauty pageant.

    Shola-Shittu received a cash prize of N5 million, which she was expected to use for investment as part of the empowerment programme of youths initiated by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the patron of the pageant.

    The new queen was crowned by the outgoing queen, Blessing Animasahun.

    NAN

  • QMA PAGEANT TAKES SHOWCASE TO LONDON

    QUEEN Moremi Ajasoro (QMA) beauty pageant made an audacious appearance recently at the Africa Fashion Week as fashionistas and global audience in London were wowed with a sleek preview its first collection of designs.

    The collections were made by Larry Kay Ojomo of Mon’Ami Clothing, the headline designer for the beauty pageant, which is scheduled to hold in November.

    According to the designer, the collections were influenced by the rich history of the people of Ife, the personality and exploits of Queen Moremi.

    The designs, Ojomo explained further, portray womanhood, power, and royalty with a little bit of modern feel, emphasising infusion of the old and new era as well as the use of colours to portray Africa prints.

    Speaking on this development, the Heritage Ambassador, Legacy of Moremi, Princess Aderonke Ademiluyi, who is the founder of Africa Fashion Week and the brains behind the beauty pageant project, revealed that the veteran designer has in his designs underlined the reason for his choice as one of the designers for the historical beauty pageant.

    The beauty pageant, which is in its second year, is opened to young Nigerian ladies between the ages of 18 and 25 from across the country, with a minimum of school certificate and of five feet and five inches tall.

    Auditions for the coveted crown are slated for Ife, Lagos and Ibadan while the grand finale holds in Lagos.

    The Ooni of Ife has already committed N5 million towards the purchase of a thousand application forms for contestants while corporate bodies and various institutions across the country are lining up support and sponsorship of the event.