How my masqueraders’ family background has shaped my entertainment career —Adelere

Ojediwura Adelere is popular with the Yoruba art of chanting panegyrics and cognomens, and she is living her dream in this unique career as a Yoruba chanter. Born in Iseyin, Oyo State, 30 years ago, the Music Technology graduate of The Polytechnic, Ibadan tells her story in this interaction with SAM NWAOKO.

How did you find yourself in the art of chanting?

It is a family thing. I inherited it from my father who is an Egungun (Masquerade) devotee. Egungun Ayelabola is very popular among Egungun Alarinjo Iseyin in Oke-Ogun and its environs. Egungun Ayelabola is well known for his singing, chanting and dancing at different social and cultural occasions. I grew up to seeing my father and my elder siblings doing it and fell in love with Bata dance. I started following my father (my eldest brother but I called him father) to performances when I was five years old. I started with song accompaniment and bata acrobatic dance which continued like that till I was about 15 years old when I started showcasing the chant skills that I had learnt by then. During this period, I have sometimes led performances when my father was still there to guide me.

 

When did you start your group?

I started my performances independently when I was 17 years.

 

How did you form the group?

I did gather drummers and dancers/ singers accompaniments by myself. We were traveling for events from town to town and state to state. When I completed my secondary school education, I relocated to Ibadan, Oyo State to study music at The Polytechnic Ibadan and this gave me the opportunity to be further exposed to new and more people, and ideas that made my chanting career better.

 

Can you explain this further?

Starting from my first day at the Music Department of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, I let everyone know that I had chanting skills. I was showcasing my skill at any opportunity I had to do so. This helped me so well in networking, and I was getting opportunities to perform outside the school too.

When I finished my studies for the National Diploma (ND) in 2016, I had the opportunity to chant on a radio program on Petals FM Ibadan. My performance that night was great and it made many listeners and other members of the radio audience to request for my contact. This created yet another avenue for me to know a lot more people who invited me for different occasions. With the help of the social media, my fan base was increasing by the day.

 

How?

I do go live on Facebook and Instagram for people to request for their oriki (cognomen) to be chanted and I do chant on their lineage panegyrics for free. When requests for my services were increasing, I formed a cultural group that I named Ojediwura Ayelabola Cultural Heritage in 2017.

 

Can you recall some of your performances off the social media?

My group has performed at different events such as festivals, concerts, birthday parties, coronation, funerals etc. I don’t only do performances at events, I do record birthday chants to celebrate people in the Diaspora. Aside from performing at events and studio recording, I have worked as a freelance presenter both on radio and television. The first TV programme I presented is Adunede with Babatunde Ogunwale on OGTV (Ogun State Television) Abeokuta between 2017 and 2018. I was also on Ojumo Alayo with Tunji Aborisade on AIT Television, Ibadan. I was also on Eyiladun on MYTV Yoruba and at Laafin Inspiration with Mr. GRA on Inspiration FM, Ibadan. Isese on Pensioners FM 106.7 Ibadan also featured me. In 2021 I released a single which I titled ‘Olulana’ and I am currently working on a new album that will be out soon. I just started an online program called ‘Atupale Oriki Yoruba’. The programme is about the history of Yoruba cognomens (oriki).

 

What are some of your memorable moments in your career?

That was the day I was appointed the cultural Ambassador of Eburu Adekunle Cultural Renaissance by His Royal Majesty Oba Professor Adekunle Adeogun Okunoye, the Eburu of Iba land during the fourth Oriki Yoruba Festival in Iba town. I was so overwhelmed. I was caught unawares.

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