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As His Beautiful Wife, Olori JANET Holds ADIRE Festival
The Alapomu of Apomu, Oba Kayode Afolabi, celebrated his 60th birthday in grand style on Saturday 12th, August, 2023.
The palace of the Alapomu where the event took place was beautifully decorated. There was heavy presence of different security agencies. Many cultural troops, drummers were on display while the town people gathered in and around the palace to celebrate with their Oba who they love so much.
The Oba alongside his beautiful queen, Olori Janet Afolabi who were both looking radiant welcomed to the royal palace, dignitaries and royal kings from far and wide including the first lady of the state, Erelu Ngozi Adeleke, Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Oloofa of Offa, Oba Muftau Mohammed Gbadamosi, Orangun of Oke-Ila, Oba (Dr) Adedokun Abolarin, Owaloko of Iloko-Ijesha Alayeluwa Oba (Dr) Akeem Ogungbangbe and his queen Olori Modupe Kikelomo Ogungbangbe, Olowu of Owu, Olupo of Oluponaland Oba, Abdul Rafiu Oyekanmi, Akire of Ikire Ile, Oba Abdul-Azeez Olatunbosun Adebamiji, Eburu of Iba (Osun State), Oba (Prof) Adekunle Adeogun- Okunoye, Oba Dauda Ajolola Akinfolabi, Olubosin of Ifetedo, HRM Oba Akinola Oyetade, Alara of Ara, Oba Olubayo Windapo and his queen Olori Oluwadara Windapo, Salu of Edun-Abon, Oba Adesoji Oladepo, Afaaji of Faaji, Oba Moshood Olawale Olalere, Owalobbo of Obbo-Ile (Kwara State) Oba Adebayo Olusegun, Are Alaga Olubadan of Ibadan, Oloye Akinade Fijabi, Olodogo of Odogo Ijesha, Oba Joseph Adebisi Owoeye, Elegbo of Ijebu-Ijesha Oba Moses Olufemi Agunsoye and his queen Olori Omolara Agunsoye, Onula of Odumula (Epe Kingdom), Oba Adeshina Adebowale, Adegbayo of Odogbawojo (Epe) Lagos State, Oba Adelani Adeniyi, Iyalaje Oodua, Chief Toyin Kolade, Otunba Wole Ogunbayo, Princess Folashade, Adeyemi and the popular Ifa Priest, Chief Ifayemi Elebuibon among others.
The king who is a known fashionista was described by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi as “prestigious king who dresses and act according to royalty”.
The Olofa of Offa gave accolades to the Olori Janet Afolabi (the Olori Alapomu of Apomu) as a woman of virtue and elegance as she is the backbone of the king and this encouraged the guests to pray for her.
The Orangun of Oke Ila Oba (Dr) Adedokun Abolarin described the Alapomu of Apomu as a king who is passionate about the town of Apomu and that the town of Apomu has taken it’s rightful place in Yoruba land since Oba Kayode Afolabi was enthroned.
The event showcased the beautiful and rich culture of Yoruba kingdom.
Wednesday, 9 August, 2023, the Apomu town celebrated their 1st Apomu Adire Festival. This festival has never happened in Apomu history, however, it has debuted under the watch of the 14th Alapomu of Apomu, His Royal Majesty, Oba Kayode Adenekan Afolabi with the innovation of Olori Janet Afolabi.
The festival was wonderful, many events took place at the festival and all the participants were decked in Adire attire. The old girls of Saint Teresa’s College, Oke Ado, Ibadan were there to feclicitate with them. City People Reporter, OLUSOLA ABIODUN and Photo Journalist, FEMI ADELEKE had an interview with Olori Janet Afolabi and she talked about her foundation “Olori Janet Afolabi Foundation (OJAF)”, whilst City People’s Mariam Adedoyin reports gists from the birthday event. Below are the excerpts of the interview.
Who is Olori Janet Afolabi?
Olori Janet Afolabi is a CNN award winning Journalist, Publisher, Editor, Author and Media Trainer.
The Queen of Apomu Kingdom. Apomu is the headquarters of Isokan Local Government area in Osun State.
I have been a Journalist all my life, I have been in Journalism for 30 years. I began my Journalism career in Newswatch Magazine in 1989. I worked there for 10 years. In 1999, I won the first prize of CNN of African Journalist Award. From Newswatch, I moved to Tell Magazine as an Assistant Editor. I worked there for one year until 7 editors including myself started Insider Magazine. After 7 years of working with Insider Magazine, I decided to start my own publication “Old School Magazine”. I published for 5 years, and my magazine won the first price in MKO Abiola Sporty Category of the Nigeria Media Merit Award which is the highest media award in Nigeria for media.
Now, we have to go online, because online has become the trendy source of information: The advent of online publication has negatively affected the hardcopy publication making it unlucrative. So we decided to go online by doing softcopy publications. I have joined the group of online as a member and I was a treasurer for 3 years before I became the Queen. I am also a member Guild of Editors. I was the first Female Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists Newswatch Chapter in Lagos State.
Can you tell us about Olori Janet Afolabi Foundation (OJAF)?
Olori Janet Afolabi Foundation, is a foundation borne out of my passion to serve humanity. I wanted an organised platform to reach out to the less previledged. Serving humanity is something I have been doing right from my childhood.
I have been very generous even within my family. It went on till my school days when I had my birthday party with the orphans at Oregun. I was doing that for two years, I bought things for the little kids of the orphanage in Lagos, I hosted them, brought artists and celebrities to have dinner with them and give them hope in life.
I wanted them to know that though they were abandoned and denied of parental love, that they could still find real love in the bosom of some kind spirited individuals in the society like my humble self.
Beyond that, I also take care of some children who are out of school.
So the position of the Queen has given me a larger platform to do what I love doing.
To be able to take my charity work to the next level, I decided to register Olori Janet Afolabi Foundation to be involved in the charitable services to the poor, the needy, the women, the youths; the girl child and children generally. And also to distribute paliative materials to the people who are hungry, who are in need of cloth, who are in need of petty cash, for their businesses, either to enhance it or to start it. That is basically what the foundation is about.
How was the Adire Festival conceived?
Adire Festival is not something I set out to start. It was borne out of coincidence of events. I took some of our community youths to Ife to a producer who was on the production site with some of his crew. I wanted to go there and showcase the talents of our youths because I knew the producer through a fellow journalist.
After we had the audition, my husband the king said I should help to collect his caps from the cap maker. But the cap maker had not finished and he said I should wait for 2 hours to finish the work.
Waiting in the car was not an option for me. So, we had to wait somewhere. While we were waiting we saw an Adire shop, so we decided to visit the place and that was how we met Queen Ronke and she offered to do training for our youths. The training lasted for 6 months and I rented a place for them and took care of them for the 6 months. Now, they can sew and do different things with Adire, and they are very good at it.
“As the Kabiyesi’s 60th birthday approached on August 12th which also happened to be the international youth day, I decided that something remarkable should be inculcated into the programme of events to honour him.
The Adire Festival therefore readily came to my mind as it would serve as an avenue of empowerment to the youth of the community whom have been noted to be very hardworking and enterprising. This avenue of the Adire Festival would afford them the opportunity to know more about Adire making from production, design and sewing of it”, the Olori concluded.
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