By Adeola Ogunlade The Nation
Says, New entrants must uphold Yoruba culture and decorum
Talking about women carving a niche for themselves and taking the traditional wedding compere business known in Yoruba parlance as Alaga iduro to enviable heights, one woman who readily stands out is Oluremi Akintola-Samuel also known as OluremiSan. Adeola Ogunlade recently caught up with the CEO of Strictly Wedding Academy, where she spoke about her passion for the industry, her inspiration as well as the challenges.
You’re one person making a name for yourself in the Nigeria traditional wedding compere industry; give us a bit of your background. How did you get into it?
Like you rightly said, I am a traditional wedding compere. Let me just say my mum inspired me. Right from childhood, I watched my mum doing the Alaga Iduro thing and I naturally got inspired. I was inspired to want to do more in the industry, having experienced it over and over. So before the advent of technology, I started like a background work in bridging the gap between the older generation and the younger generation. Gradually, I was able to break the boundaries because, like I said, I have the support of my mom, who happens to be my boss.
What has been your experience in breaking boundaries in a profession that seems to be for older people?
I am happy that I have been able to change the trajectory of the Alaga industry. I have been able to transform how a lot of people perceive us and how they see us. I have also been able to prove to people that the younger generation can come on board. I have been able to blend the older generation and the younger generation. One of the major challenges is that the younger generations are not thinking about the future; most of them are only concerned about today and what they will gain. Take for example, some of the younger generations do not think about culture or why they are where they are today, not to talk of think about the essence of the Alaga industry. A lot of times they do things because they are Alaga; they do not consider that somebody worked to path the way for them, to take the industry to where it is today. Sometimes, they do something that is good to change the norm; however, in changing the norm, there are basic things that you cannot change because that’s what you stand for.
It’s like saying that you want to start wearing jeans to court, it’s not possible! There are things that you can change as a lawyer; there are ways that you can bring in technology and all, but there are certain things you cannot change. It’s the same in the Alaga profession. A lot of people don’t understand why they do what they do. So they commit a lot of errors in the process, especially with the advent of social media.
Can you share with us your impetus for a successful career in the Alaga business?
I feel strongly that hard work is number one. Two, players in the industry must avoid being stereotyped. A lot of times, Alagas are stereotyped, but you must have diversity in your presentation and in the business itself. You must be able to know that, okay, this is peculiar to this kind of family and this is peculiar to that kind of family. To build a successful career, you must be willing to learn. You must be open to knowledge, you must be creative.
What are the challenges and potential in the traditional wedding compere business?
One of the most challenging things in the Alaga industry is lack of proper care for talents and their ingenuity. Someone can create something, maybe a song, maybe a style and somebody else would copy it without any copyrights and people will be paying the person that copied it instead of paying the originator. For example, I have my style of presentation but there are lots of people that have copied it. It is a major problem in Nigeria.
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How do we sustain our culture in the Alaga practice?
We have to look at why we do what we do, and what brought us to the industry. It is our culture, so our culture must be sustained. We must keep that at the back of our mind. You cannot say you want be a lawyer or judge but you do not want to wear a wig in the court of law. I see a lot of Alaga dress indecently when they are supposed to dress culturally. You see women, who in the guise of Alaga, wear dresses with their cleavages out. That does not depict our culture. Yes, we can say that a lot of things have changed over the years, that brides are changing and things are changing, but our culture is not changing. We still kneel down to greet our parents; we still speak our language. So, the culture must be sustained because that’s what brought us to where we are today. If you are not comfortable with the culture, then you are not supposed to be in the Alaga industry.
Do you think there is a need for regulation in the traditional compere business?
There’s a huge need for regulation. Sometimes, I have regrets. I always thought that younger people should come on board; unfortunately they’re mixing up things. Back in the days, everybody looked forward to seeing the bride; but now the kind of dance the younger ones make the bride dance all in the name of trending is disturbing. The kinds of things they make people do on their wedding day because they want to trend need to be checked. Back in the days when I was training, there were regulatory bodies; there were things that you couldn’t, which if you did, somebody would arrest you right at the venue. But now there’s nothing like that; anybody can say anything; people can say vulgar words because they just feel that nobody is going to regulate them.
What other things occupy your time when you’re not working as alaga?
Lots of things occupy my time. As I speak to you, I am on a movie set. If it is not movies, it is ministry; if it is not ministry, it is Alaga work. I am in church serving my God; organising programmes for women because I am passionate about women, especially younger women. Those are the three things that take my time. And of course marriage and family. A lot of times I am trying to compose songs for the Alaga industry; trying to look at what can be done differently.