That skimpily dressed lady at Ojúde Ọba.
I saw her video with Professor Lasun Gbadamosi.
I also saw her own rebuttal video where she reinforced whatever she did with her claim of Ìjẹ̀bú ancestry and residence in South London.
I also saw somewhere online that she attended the show as a product ambassador for one beer lager company. I hope that is correct.

Story had it that Prof accosted her for not dressing well to the event. And she threatened to sue for harassment… Lol…

My approach is to put her on a scale with Professor Gbada. She will probably be an age mate of Prof’s last child. Or, she may actually be a grandchild. Nobody should come and tell me how she is an adult and Prof has no right to talk to her. I am an African and we defer to age and status. With both, Prof towers above her like Cocoa House at Ibadan.

Was Prof right to have spoken to her about the way she dressed? Yes!

Why? In our culture, the child is birthed by “four eyes” but nurtured by “two hundred eyes”. Nurturing comes in various ways. Raising disapproval about distasteful actions, speech, behaviour and attitude, are involved. The lady is obviously black and Prof most likely saw her as “one of our children”. So, Prof played that “nurturing community” role well.

No cultured person should have attended Ojúde Ọba at Ìjẹ̀bú Ode, dressed that way. In a skimpy skirt revealing her undergarments which was described as biker shorts.

No well mannered person should have talked back at an elder in that manner. Yes, I know “Ndi rights” will defend her action as Prof will be seen as oppressive, typical of African parents and the next game will be to smuggle in matters of mental health. We no longer waste time with that. We are ever ready to excuse every bad behaviour on the corridor of mental health effect. So, “Ndi Rights” will say she had every right to talk back in defence of her right of choice which they may claim Prof was violating. They will go further to assert that Ojúde Ọba is a cultural show which the Ijebus seek to make an international tourist event. Therefore, we should be prepared, going forward, to see tourists from all over the world who may choose to dress skimpily. If the lady was an obvious tourist, I am sure, even Prof would not have bothered challenging her about her dress sense. But, a black lady rocking a seemingly Yoruba dress, albeit unsuitable and improper for the event?!

Next is, the “Ndi Rights” will ask if there is a dress code for Ojúde Ọba. Oh yes, there is! Ojúde Ọba is a cultural show. A show staged in the setting of Ijebu culture. Ijebus are not nudists. So, dressing in ways to inappropriately reveal body parts is alien to Ijebu culture. Every major participant at the show was heavily clad in flowing “agbada”. We all saw how the ladies were fully covered in “buba” tops on wrappers. Even the lady horse riders were dressed in traditional “Buba and Iro”! I understand one of the lady horse riders also came from the overseas. Yet, she rode her horse in “Buba and Ìró”.

I did not observe anyone revealing anything at the pavilions. After leaving the presence of the Awujale at the venue of the main show, the “regberegbe” age grades had their own gatherings where they partied hard. Trust the Ijebus. That is the kind of setting where such skimpy or revealing dress senses would have been appreciated. In fact, when a tourist attends an event, it is essential to put the culture of the host population into consideration. And here we have someone who is even claiming indigeneship. So, the lady appeared confused in her choice of dress: was she attending as an Ìjẹ̀bú indigene or as a tourist? She definitely would not fit into any of the “regberegbe” age grades. Perhaps one of her own parents would. The show was obviously not for “kids”.

Why should the lady have dressed better? Every event has a theme, a purpose and a code of conduct, albeit unwritten. For the purpose of Ojúde Ọba, people have come to pay homage to the King and the paramount ruler of the entire Ijebuland. Nobody goes to pay homage to a Yoruba king scantily dressed. You go in your best attire. And that reflected in the richness and quality of Yoruba fashion on display at the event. The Internet is our witness. Interestingly, the lady’s skimpy skirt was also made of beautiful “Sanyan” fabric, a brand of traditional Aso Ofi. She would have been praised to high heavens if that skirt was not revealing.

Was it really necessary for Prof to have accosted the lady? Yes! The reason is very simple. If nothing is done to call attention to that bad behaviour at this moment, the scenario will get worse over time. That lady came for attention with her dress sense, and she got it in very high doses, positive and negative. Her pictures were everywhere on the Internet. Trust Gen Z. Next year, everybody will want to outdo her and “trend” like they say. Trust me, Gen Z will attend the show naked, next year.

The Ijebus cherish Ojúde Ọba show a lot and would not want to see any generation messing up the tradition they had jealously preserved over 150 years.

Lastly, if “Ndi Rights” are still not happy with Professor Gbadamosi, they should kindly encourage the lady to attend a Durbar anywhere up north next year, dressed that same way.

Some of us will like to see something… Lol…

~ Prof. Tinuade Ogunlesi.

Me: Excellently Addressed! Bravo Prof. Tinuade Ogunlesi 🤏🏾
Àgbà Rere Tí Wọ́n Mọ Ojúṣe Àti Ẹ̀tọ́, Tí Wọ́n Sì Máa Sọ Òdodo Fún Àwọn Ọmọ Amúnibúni Ẹran Ibíyẹ, Àwọn Ọmọ Àbíìkọ́-Àkọ́ọ̀gbà Wa Kò Ní Tán Nílẹ̀ Yorùbá Títí Láí! 🙏🏿

iyawon