By DEAR readers, as we count down to the final burial rites of the Matriarch of the great Arogunmasa Dynasty of Ogoriland, Princess Esther Adefolakemi Arogunmasa, we shall be bringing, bit-by-bit, the person and character of the late Double Princess and centenarian in anecdotes for your didactic experience.
Let’s go……
Mama Folake, popularly called Emam’ Efolake by the myriad of people who had crossed her path, could be succinctly described as an enigma. She was a simple, yet a “complicated metaphor that tested one’s alertness and cleverness.” Don’t ask me to explain further! She’s uneducated, but very intelligent, logical and analytical in her dealings with others.
As a princess from the valiant Ebajemito Royal Family of Magongo and her mom from Fadipe-Aisoni Dynasty of Ogori, expect her to have the royal culture of courtesy, grandeur, respect, self-worth, neatness and unfettered access to her rich ancestry. A deep, patriotic, cultural enthusiast and custodian of Ogori heritage simply went into flames on September 12, 2023!
Mama, An Advocate Of Hygiene
As a primary school pupil, sometime around 1980 or 1981, I can’t precisely remember what class I was, this writer had set out to go to school in the morning of a fateful day. Those days, especially during harmattan, rocky Ogori was a chilly and dry lot! As a result, we kids often made do with washing half of our legs and hands (knee to feet and elbow to fingers) and shamed the scorching weather with Vaseline without which your arms and legs would go white!
From right, Mama Folake, Ebenezer, Joy
This fateful day I had followed the ritual, picked up my school bag and fled the house towards Eji (Market square) via Okpa. Mind you, Efolake had earlier insisted that if I didn’t bathe, I should then change my dross (boxer or pant). I pretended I didn’t hear her. Those days, too, were days we local boys defecated without properly washing off our bum bum with water or tissues (who’ll give you that). So, we cleaned up our ass with nothing but leaves or fine stones or anything readily available. The bottom-line was that some slug of faeces would be left in our dross (boxers).
So, thinking Efolake had forgotten and allowed me to be, I was racing down in triumph towards Idokitotutu (Dispensary at Okpa), towards the market when a hand suddenly grabbed my shirt from behind! Alas, it was the Uduripinpen Princess on my trail! Eta wa yo a, pila ke che kone (Where are you going, come back here you must go and change your dross if not you go nowhere)” Mama blared.
As she grabbed by shirt and attracted passersby, I knew the game was up. So, I followed her back home almost half naked with my dross and some left over faeces falling off to my eternal shame! That dross had been on my waist for days! What a dirty boy I was!
As I relive this scenario today as someone just two months shy of 52 years old, Emam’ Efolake comes to mind as a very neat princess. To further corroborate this, this writer was at Ogori, after several years, last April during the Ovia Osese festival. Though well advanced in age, maintaining strong agility, visual sharpness and a wonderful appetite for good food, the centenarian was up as early as 6:00a.m to take her bath, apply beautiful pomade and adorn herself with Ebele (coral beads) and clean wears while she sat majestically in her gorgeous living room to welcome visitors!
Emam’ Efolake was a true legendary princess of yore! Adieu!!! Rest well!!!
More to come….
Ebenezer (Ilori)
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