Sowore condemns traditional cleansing ritual against female TikToker over Oloolu Masquerade filming, calls it abuse
By Ishaya Ibrahim
Presidential candidate of the Africa Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has condemned the traditional cleansing ritual performed on a female TikToker after she filmed the Oloolu masquerade procession in Ibadan, Oyo State, describing it as an act of abuse that stripped the young woman of her dignity.
Videos showed Wasilat surrounded by traditional worshippers, with her head shaved and dressed in red garments because of the filming of the masquerade. She reportedly experienced unexplained bleeding and emotional distress after the incident, prompting her family to seek intervention from custodians of the Oloolu shrine.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Sowore said he had learned that the TikToker underwent a traditional “cleansing” ritual after filming an Oloolu masquerade procession. He argued that while culture occupies a vital place in people’s lives, any cultural practice that is oppressive, discriminatory, or insensitive to gender should be abandoned immediately.
He said the TikToker, identified as Wasilat Olalere, was “ultimately abused and stripped of her dignity by the very people who are often quick to condemn Islamists for engaging in similar acts.”
Sowore added that it does not matter whether such abuse is carried out by Islamists, traditionalists, or anyone else, insisting that any culture, tradition, or belief system that violates human dignity is unacceptable and has no place in a just society.
The controversy stems from a viral TikTok video posted by Olalere during this year’s Oloolu Masquerade Festival, an annual event celebrated by descendants of the Oloolu lineage that attracts traditional rulers, worshippers, cultural enthusiasts, and visitors from across Yorubaland.
The festival includes prayers, rituals, sacrifices, drumming, dancing, and processions to honour ancestors while seeking peace, protection, prosperity, and community well-being .
Unlike many public masquerade festivals, the Oloolu custom is guarded by strict rules, including prohibitions on photographing or recording certain portions of the parade.
The Oloolu family has since defended the cleansing, saying it was carried out in line with longstanding customs surrounding the festival, and that Olalere completed the rites, apologised for her actions, and returned home safely.
